About Transitional Aged Care
Transitional Aged Care is a program to address the needs of older people who, in the absence of this program may require residential aged care. It is a time-limited period of support and low intensity period of therapy in a facility or community setting. It provides older people who have been assessed by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) as eligible for admission to residential aged care with an opportunity to optimise their functional capacity and determine their appropriate long-term care requirements.
Aims
- To allow time for older people to complete their recovery and optimise their functional capacity in a non-hospital environment.
- To allow the older person, their carer(s) and families to make th emost appropriate choice about their long-term care needs.
- To reduce inappropriate extended hospital lengths of stay and minimise premature admission to residential aged care.
Entry Criteria
Older people who:
- are in the process of making a decision about their long-term care options after a stay in hospital (older people who have already decided to enter residential aged care are not eligible).
- at the completion of their acute/subacute hospital episode, have the capacity to benefit from a period of low-intensity therapy and who have been assessed by the ACAT team as eligible for at least low-level residential aged care.
