Aged care changes at a glance

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Caring for the elderly: 260614: SMH News: 26th of June 2014: Story by Neil McMahon: Portrait of Megan Towns at her Mount Pritchard home with her Grandmother who has moved down from Queensland. Megan, 31, has been looking after her grandmother since her dementia diagnosis a year ago and intends to keep her there with her for as long as possible before she has to go into a nursing home. Photo by James Alcock.
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At home: Megan Towns with her grandmother Joan, who she moved down from Queensland after a dementia diagnosis. Photo: James Alcock

* A raft of changes to the aged care system come into effect on July 1. Anyone already in the system before that date can continue with their current arrangements, or choose to move to the new system. If you were in an aged care facility before July 1 but leave the system for 28 days or more, you will be subject to the new rules. 

* The reforms, announced in 2012, are aimed at helping people stay in their homes longer, as well as shifting to a greater emphasis on user pays, with a new income and assets test used to assess how much people will pay for accommodation or in-home care. An online hub,  www.myagedcare.gov.au, has been created to help people navigate the system and manage their care plan.

* The revised income and assets test will affect how selling or keeping the family home impacts on the amount people pay for care. The reforms also include annual and lifetime caps on the amount people will be asked to contribute to their own care.

* Nursing homes will have to be more transparent about pricing and the specific services they offer. They can set their own prices, but must advertise them in advance. Any facility charging more than $550,000 as a lump sum for a place in a nursing home will need approval from the Aged Care Pricing Commissioner.