To see if you or your loved one qualifies for residential aged care, a needs assessment will be completed to determine what level of care is required. You may be referred by your GP or hospital if you have been advised that care is the next step, or you can find a Needs Assessment Services Coordinator directly with NASC or via Te Whatu Ora. The assessment aims to determine whether you or your loved one is eligible for long-term care in a residential aged care home. If you are not eligible, you can still choose care on a self-funded basis, but the needs assessment is required if you wish to receive financial support or subsidy from Te Whatu Ora.

You or your family member is eligible for long-term care, if:

• You/they have high or very high needs;
• Your/their condition is irreversible;
• And you/they cannot be safely supported within the community.

To make an appointment with NASC, you can either get a referral from your GP or hospital, phone your local Te Whatu Ora and ask to speak to a local NASC organisation, choose your local NASC online by checking the list on the Ministry of Health website, or go directly to NASC.

Once an appointment has been made with NASC, a needs assessor will visit you in your home to identify and discuss your specific health requirements or those of your loved one. This is necessary to complete the needs assessment and may include a specialist geriatric assessment. If you or your family member is already hospitalised, the hospital can arrange a needs assessment in the ward.

The needs assessor will work closely with your family or whānau to discuss the available options and support services. Depending on the needs of the person close to you, they may require rest home care, dementia care, hospital-level care or psycho-geriatric hospital level of care.

Once NASC finds your loved one eligible to enter a rest home care facility, you will be given a financial means application to apply for financial support through a Residential Care Subsidy application.

After completing the needs assessment, the NASC will help you devise a plan of action to facilitate the commencement of the services you are entitled to and authorise entry into a rest home that provides you with the assessed level of care required.

You have the right to choose any residential care provider in New Zealand that has a contract with Te Whatu Ora to provide aged residential care. Radius Care, for example, provides residential rest home aged care, dementia, hospital, specialist and palliative care for older people and in some homes, younger person disabled, in locations all across New Zealand.

Alternatively, you can find rest homes through eldernet.co.nz in the Residential Care section.

Understanding the costs of aged care

After your NASC assessment, you can apply for a financial means assessment straight away.

All applications for a financial means assessment will be made to Work and Income. A financial means assessment aims to determine whether the applicant qualifies for public funding through a Residential Care Subsidy or a Residential Care Loan.

We advise you to apply for a financial means assessment on behalf of your loved one as soon as possible, even if you cannot immediately supply Work and Income with all the necessary papers.

You will be required to pay for residential care until it has been confirmed by Work and Income that you qualify for a Residential Care Subsidy/Loan. If your loved one has entered residential care on his or her own accord, without going through NASC first, then they are personally liable to pay for the full cost.

More information on Residential Care Subsidy and Residential Care Loan can be found here.

Most rooms have an accommodation supplement fee for which nightly costs can vary depending on the size and amenities available in the room. This additional fee is paid privately by the resident and is not government-funded. Many Radius Care homes provide standard room options with no additional fee; however, it is subject to availability – ask your chosen care home’s team for information.

Choosing the right place for care isn’t always easy, but planning ahead of time what your priorities are will help you assess a location’s ability to provide safe and appropriate care for your loved one’s needs. You can begin this process while you are applying for funding or before. Here are some tips on what to consider when making your decision.

The Ministry of Health conducts regular audits to ensure all rest homes meet the standards of the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001. You can review these audits here.

It is best to make this decision in consultation with your loved one if possible. We understand that moving into a rest home can be a stressful experience, especially for those with dementia.

You may wish to consider a gradual transition into long-term care through a short stay such as respite care. A gradual transition, where possible, allows your loved one to get to know their new surroundings, the staff, and other residents.

We also understand that choosing a home can be urgent and that the older person may be in hospital and unable to visit the rest home themselves.

When deciding on behalf of a family member, make an appointment to speak to a Radius Facility Manager, who is there to help answer all your questions. We understand that you will have lots of questions and concerns. Moving into a rest home is a big undertaking for some older people, and we appreciate that this is a challenging time.

Before you visit, it’s best to write down any questions or concerns you may have. You may have questions relating to:

• Management of the home
• Extra costs (additional costs not subsidised by the daily Te Whatu Ora contract rate)
• Meals and other service-related care
• Rooms, grounds and buildings,
• Staffing – clinical care, medical oversight
• Policies and operating procedures
• Activities
• Complaints procedures

A complete checklist to help you evaluate and narrow down your choices can be found here. Often, it comes down to whether you get a good feeling and whether a home feels like a good fit personally. Here are a few things to consider, all of which we take very seriously at Radius Care:

What to look for when choosing a rest home

1. Care: Do the members of the care team listen to your needs respectfully and with kindness and compassion?
2. Living Environment: Will the home provide you with a home to live in and enjoy, as well as engaging activities, great food, and social involvement?
3. Maximising your independence: The care team will ensure you are supported to be as independent as possible.
4. Community: Does the home feel like a community and have the support of the wider local community?

An admission agreement or contract must be signed before moving into a Radius care home.

The purpose of the admission agreement is to protect the resident and the rest home by setting out the responsibilities and expectations of both parties.

The admission agreement is a legal document that specifies such things as extra services you have agreed to receive and pay for, costs and extra charges, liability for damage or loss of belongings of the resident, resident safety, transport, procedures, and complaint processes. Should you wish to discuss or negotiate any aspects of the admissions agreement with your rest home, you may choose to have a nominated power of attorney or lawyer support you.

You also have the right to refuse any extra services offered to you, and if you do, it is important to make sure that this is noted in your contract. We advise you to read the admission agreement very carefully before you sign it and to request a copy for a relative, friend or lawyer to read.

Once the admission agreement has been signed, your loved one is able to move into the rest home of your choice.

You can now rest assured that they’re in safe hands and well looked after.