What is My Aged Care?
If you are 65 years or older (or 50 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), My Aged Care is the starting point for you to access funding supports through the aged care system.
My Aged Care provides a single point of contact for older Australians entering the aged care system—and your carers and family members—to ensure you can easily find and access the right government-funded services to support your independence.
You can register with My Aged Care by contacting their help line on 1800 200 422. The team at My Aged Care will gather some details about your situation and the supports you rely on, and then connect you with an aged care assessor in your local area who will manage the rest of your registration.
Who is My Aged Care for?
If you are 65 years or older (or 50 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), funded supports are accessed through the aged care system.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funded supports for people living with a disability. However, eligibility for the NDIS is limited to people under the age of 65. Registering with My Aged Care is the first step towards accessing these funded supports.
When you register with My Aged Care, a record is created with a summary of your personal situation. As you progress through an aged care assessment towards receiving services, your summary will be shared with the people involved in coordinating your support, so you don’t have to keep repeating your story to different people.
What is the process associated with My Aged Care?
After you’ve registered with My Aged Care, an aged care assessor from your local area will make an appointment to visit you at home.
They will have a conversation with you to understand your situation and the supports you rely on.
Together, you will come up with a support plan, and your aged care assessor will begin to connect you with any ‘low-level’ funded supports you’ll need to remain independent. You can choose which service providers you want to be referred to, including Guide Dogs!
‘Low-level’ funded supports are generally provided at a subsidised rate (meaning the Government will pay for some of the total cost). Some providers will ask for a co-payment from you to make up the remaining cost, but we don’t. Services and supports from Guide Dogs do not require co-payments.
Common questions
Learn more about your potential experience with My Aged Care.
No. There is no cost for an aged care assessment.
All aged care assessments follow national guidelines that your assessor will adhere to. During the assessment, your assessor will ask about your strengths and abilities, areas where you have difficulty, and the supports that might best meet your needs and goals. They may ask about the services you already access, and about the things you rely on for support, including a family member, carer, or a Guide Dog!
If your support plan identifies a need for low-level funded supports, your assessor can start referring you directly to service providers who can assist.
Aged care assessors are highly experienced in their field, but some may need additional information to understand how to assist a person who is blind or has low vision. If your assessor is unsure of what support you may need, you can contact our Customer Service team on 1800 804 805.
We’ll reach out to the assessor and let them know about the range of services available to people who are blind or have low vision. Alternatively, ask the assessor to refer you to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. We’ll be able to review your support plan and ensure that you have everything you’ll need.
Aged care assessments are not just about your level of physical fitness. An assessor can also make a referral for vision and mobility services like Occupational Therapy, Orthoptics, and Orientation & Mobility. Your assessor will take a holistic approach to ensuring your independence and safety is future-proofed.
Depending on your situation, your assessor can include a range of services in your support plan. These are supports provided on an episodic, or ‘low-level’ ongoing basis. Following your assessment, your assessor can start referring you directly to service providers for low-level funded supports.
These could include help around the house, with meals, or for personal care. If it’s appropriate, your assessor can also make referrals for home maintenance or home modifications, and for allied health and therapy services. There are a range of providers registered with My Aged Care in different areas. Your assessor will be able to explain whether any of these supports would require a co-payment from you.
Guide Dogs is a registered provider with My Aged Care and abides by all relevant quality standards including the Aged Care Quality Standards.
Advise your aged care assessor that you want to access vision services with Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and they can include this in your support plan. Your assessor can electronically send a referral directly to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT or give you a referral code which you can then give to us.
The referral category that Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is registered in is Specialised Support Services – Vision services.
Generally, your assessor can make a referral for Goods, Equipment and Assistive Technology (GEAT) code to access some items up to a maximum value per year. To access items under this you will need a registered prescriber. Our staff at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT are recognised as registered providers and can assist you to access equipment to help you achieve your goals. Your assessor can give you more information on this and if there are any co-payments required from you for these items.
If your assessor recognises that you have more comprehensive in-home care needs, then you may receive approval for a Home Care Package. A Home Care Package is a pool of funds that have been allocated to an individual, which can be used to pay for higher level in-home aged care services.
Not every aged care assessor will be able to determine your eligibility for a Home Care Package, so you may be asked to participate in a second assessment, with an assessor who can make that determination.
A Home Care Package is a pool of funds that have been allocated to a person which can be used to pay for higher level in-home aged care services. Depending on your situation, your assessor may approve you for a Home Care Package at Level 1, 2, 3 or 4.
These funds are used to pay for the services and equipment needed to maintain your independence within your home and community. A Home Care Package requires ongoing co-payments from you. The exact amount of your co-payments will be determined by an income test.
A limited number of Home Care Packages are available in your local area. Depending on your level of urgency, you may be placed on a waiting list until a Home Care Package becomes available in your area. While you are on the waiting list, your assessor can continue making referrals directly to service providers for any low-level funded supports you may need.
When a Home Care Package becomes available, the process will commence and you will have to select a Home Care Package provider to manage your funding. Guide Dogs NSW/ACT is not a Home Care Package Provider, but we provide vision services to people with Home Care Packages.
We encourage every person who is eligible to obtain my aged care funding.
When more people receive funding support through my aged care, Guide Dogs can use more of the funds we raise in the community to support people who are not eligible for the scheme.
Our services are available to all people with low vision or blindness, and we will work with you to develop a plan to meet your goals.
