A residential aged care home is for older people who can no longer live at home and need ongoing help with everyday tasks or health care.
Residential aged care homes are also called:
A residential aged care home can give you the services you need to have a good quality of life.
The government funds aged care homes across Australia. These homes supply services to people who need it and are eligible.
Each aged care home is different. They may provide different levels of care. Some provide basic accommodation while others also provide continuous nursing care and healthcare services.
It's important to choose the right one for you.
You might consider a residential aged care home because you:
Australia's aged care homes are for people aged 65 years and over (or 50 years and over for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people or people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless).
A younger person with exceptional circumstances may also be eligible if their needs cannot be met through other specialist services. Contact the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and ask what help is available for Australians with a permanent or significant disability.
If you are between the ages of 9 and 65 years, check if you can apply for NDIS support by visiting the NDIS website (Opens in new tab).
Applying for an assessment is the first step to accessing government-funded aged care. This assessment is to understand your needs and see what you are eligible for. The assessment is done through the Single Assessment System (Opens in new tab).
You can apply for an assessment:
To check your eligibility for residential aged care, you can:
Each aged care home sets their own prices. How much you need to pay depends on:
There are 3 types of costs associated with all aged care homes. These fees are:
The accommodation cost is the cost for your room. It depends on your income and assets. The Government may contribute to this.
The basic daily care fee is what you pay to help cover expenses such as:
The contributions made based on your means are extra payments you make, based on an assessment of your income and assets.
You can use the fee estimator (Opens in new tab) to get an idea of the costs you may have to pay. You can also call My Aged Care (Opens in new tab) on 1800 200 422.
Moving into residential aged care is often a challenging time.
It is an emotional decision for:
It might be time to consider an aged care home when your loved one has:
Even if moving to an aged care home is the best choice, you may feel unsettled.
There are many ways you can help care for your relative or friend living in an aged care home.
The My Aged Care website has a fact sheet about caring for someone in an aged care home (Opens in new tab).
For further information:
Find out how we develop and review our content.
Last reviewed: July 2026
Worried about your health?
Select a symptom, answer some questions, get advice
