What We Discuss

Our message is that the key to quality living in your senior years is to plan ahead and get your affairs in order well before a life event occurs.

Into your 50's and 60's, we recommend that you start to:

• Think about your own ageing needs and where you would like to live as you age.

• Have the conversations about your health, care and accommodation options to your adult children or legal representatives (Power of Attorney or Enduring Guardian) and document your wants and wishes so family or friends are aware of them.

• Consider a move to your desired living arrangement in your mid-60's and early 70's. In our experience, downsizing in your late 70's to an apartment or retirement village is an upheaval which may be followed by a move to residential care. Multiple moves can be costly.

What We Explain

• The process of obtaining Australian government subsidies for your care support, your full entitlement to those subsidies, and the waiting periods.

• The government process for assessing your care needs.

• That if you have the means to pay for your own care, you can access support and care services at any time on a 'fee for service' basis.

• The different care options and creative approaches to arranging care, irrespective of your financial means.

• That to age in place, say in the family home, an assessment may find that modifications to the home are necessary. We share innovative examples of how people modify their homes to avoid hazards such as trips and falls.

It is important to involve your adult children in your plans, particularly if you are looking at living in a retirement community as they involve financial and legal commitments.

In our open and honest speaking engagements, question time is always vibrant with wonderful questions asked. They include:

• When do I commence the planning process?
  We always advise now. Do not wait for that 'life event' such as a major health issue to occur. If the life event happens, the plan is ready to go and your family are across your wishes.

• With ageing family members interstate, is DR Care Solutions a national organisation?
  Yes, we can assist anyone anywhere in Australia.

• What is estate planning and why is it so important?
  Too often we find adult children dealing with the stress of having to obtain decision-making power through the court system for their suddenly incapacitated parent. Please avoid this by organising your legal documentation (Power of Attorney, Enduring Guardianship) well in advance.