Aged care assessment is a critical entry point into government-funded aged care services. With the Single Assessment System now in place and Support at Home operating under the new aged care framework, providers can play a practical role in helping older people and families understand what to expect and prepare relevant information.
Aged care assessment is one of the most important steps in helping older people access the right level of support, whether that support is delivered at home, through short-term care, or in a residential aged care setting. For many older people and their families, however, the assessment process can feel unfamiliar, confronting and difficult to navigate.
Assessment preparation has become even more important in the context of Australia’s aged care reforms. The Single Assessment System workforce commenced on 9 December 2024, replacing the previous Regional Assessment Service, Aged Care Assessment Teams and independent AN-ACC assessment organisations. Its purpose is to make it easier for older people to enter aged care and move between services as their needs change.
For providers, the assessment process is not merely an administrative step. It directly influences the services an older person may be approved to receive, the information providers may later rely on for care planning, and the expectations families may have about service access, timing and outcomes.
Under the Single Assessment System, My Aged Care contact centre staff and aged care needs assessors use the Integrated Assessment Tool. This is intended to support a more nationally consistent approach to screening and assessing older people for government-funded aged care services.
The assessment process can consider whether a person may need support to remain living at home, access short-term care, move into an aged care home, or receive other aged care services. Assessments are usually conducted in person, often in the person’s home or current residence, which allows the assessor to better understand the person’s living environment, daily routines, risks and support needs.
These changes sit alongside broader reforms, including the commencement of the new Aged Care Act and the introduction of the Support at Home program. Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme from 1 November 2025, while the Commonwealth Home Support Program is expected to transition no earlier than 1 July 2027.
This means providers should expect older people and families to have questions not only about assessment eligibility, but also about what approved services will look like under the new system.
The aged care assessment is designed to identify an older person’s needs, goals, risks, preferences and circumstances. It is not simply a checklist of physical tasks. A good assessment should consider the whole person, including their health, mobility, cognition, emotional wellbeing, social supports, home environment, carer arrangements and cultural needs.
Older people may be assessed for different types of support, including:
My Aged Care explains that applying for an assessment is the first step to accessing government-funded aged care and can be done online, by phone or in person. The application process usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes.
For providers, this means the period before assessment is an important opportunity to help older people and families understand what information may be relevant, what questions they may be asked, and why it is important to give an honest picture of day-to-day support needs.
One of the most common challenges in aged care assessment is that older people may minimise or understate the difficulties they are experiencing. This can occur for a range of reasons, including pride, fear of losing independence, embarrassment, concern about burdening family members, or a lack of insight into changing care needs.
For example, an older person may say they are “managing fine” even though they are:
If these issues are not discussed during the assessment, the resulting approval may not reflect the person’s actual needs. This can lead to delays, service gaps, carer stress and the need for reassessment.
Providers should encourage older people and families to approach the assessment as a practical conversation about what support is genuinely needed to maintain safety, wellbeing and independence.
Older people and families do not need to prepare formal reports for every assessment, but they should be ready to discuss the person’s current situation clearly and honestly. My Aged Care encourages people to understand what documents they may need, what the assessor may ask, what questions they may want to ask, and who can be present during the assessment.
Useful preparation may include:
Families and carers should also consider writing down examples of what happens on a typical day and what happens on a difficult day. Specific examples can help assessors understand the practical impact of a person’s needs.
Providers may not control the assessment outcome, but they can play a valuable role in supporting older people and families to prepare. This is particularly important where a provider already has a relationship with the person through privately funded services, retirement living, community programs, respite, hospital discharge planning or early home support.
Providers can assist by:
Providers should be careful not to coach people to exaggerate needs. The objective should be accurate, person-centred information that supports a fair assessment and appropriate care planning.
The assessment process should also be understood in the context of a broader rights-based aged care system. The direction of aged care reform is towards greater emphasis on dignity, autonomy, supported decision-making, person-centred care and meaningful choice.
This aligns with the broader shift identified in a previous Aged Care Essentials article concerning culture of care: compliance is no longer only about having systems in place, but about demonstrating that systems produce safe, respectful and person-centred outcomes.
In assessment preparation, this means older people should be supported to express:
Providers should see assessment preparation as part of person-centred practice, not simply as a referral task.
There are several risks providers should manage when supporting assessment preparation.
First, staff may provide incomplete or outdated information about the assessment pathway, especially during a period of reform. Providers should ensure frontline teams know where to direct people for current information.
Second, families may misunderstand assessment approval as an immediate guarantee of service availability. Providers should explain that assessment is one step in the process and that service commencement may depend on approval type, provider availability, funding arrangements and the person’s preferences.
Third, providers may fail to identify when an older person needs urgent support. My Aged Care distinguishes general assessment pathways from circumstances where a person may need urgent assistance. Providers should ensure escalation pathways are clear where there are immediate safety risks, carer breakdown or rapid deterioration.
Finally, providers should ensure they obtain appropriate consent before sharing information or participating in assessment-related discussions.
Providers should take practical steps to strengthen how they support older people and families through assessment preparation.
Preparing for aged care assessment is an increasingly important part of supporting older people to access the right care at the right time. As aged care reforms continue to reshape assessment, home care and provider obligations, organisations should ensure staff can guide older people and families with clarity, accuracy and empathy.
For older people, good preparation can make the assessment process less stressful and help ensure their real needs, risks and preferences are understood. For providers, it supports better intake, safer care planning, clearer communication and stronger alignment with the person-centred intent of the reformed aged care system.
Assessment is not just a gateway to services. It is an opportunity to understand what matters to an older person and to ensure the supports that follow are built around their needs, goals and dignity.
Nicole Chen
Nick Edwards