No two of us are the same. We are shaped by our respective cultures and languages, where we live, our identities, and our experiences.
Knowing that your diverse needs will be supported is an important factor when seeking aged care. But how can you see which aged care providers deliver specialised care for diverse needs groups? What kind of specialist care can you expect from these aged care providers?
What specialisation means
Under the Aged Care Quality Standards and Charter of Aged Care Rights, everyone receiving government-funded aged care is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect, and to have their identity, culture, and diversity valued. But some providers go above and beyond, tailoring their services, staff, and organisation to meet the needs of specific groups. These aged care providers can apply to have their specialised services independently verified against the My Aged Care Provider Specialisation Verification Framework (the Framework).
The Framework means that aged care providers must be assessed and verified before they can claim to provide specialised services for:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities
- people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds (CALD)
- people who are financially or socially disadvantaged
- veterans
- people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
- care leavers (people who spent time in out-of-home care when they were children)
- parents separated from their children by forced adoption or removal
- lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex people (LGBTI)
- people who live in rural or remote areas.
Verification applications are assessed by an internal assessment team within the Department of Health and Aged Care.
You can see which providers offer one or more verified diverse needs specialisations using the Find a provider tool. Use the specialisations filter to narrow your search and only see those who provide services in your community.
What can you expect from a specialist provider?
When choosing an aged care provider, it’s important to know which providers can offer services, staffing, and an environment that best caters to your needs. Depending on the community—or communities—that you belong to, specialist care may take different forms, including:
- receiving care from a provider owned and operated by your community
- staff who are members of your community
- staff being trained to understand the specific needs of your community
- tailored services, delivered in an environment that is safe and inclusive
- opportunities to actively maintain your involvement in community activities and celebrations.
The verification process recognises that the needs of individuals and communities differ. The Framework is not prescriptive about how an aged care provider delivers its services. Rather, it serves as the basis for assessing how they meet the needs of older people with diverse needs and experiences.
What are the criteria for specialised care?
Aged care providers apply for verification based on a selection of the available criteria, which are explained in more detail below. Please contact the provider for more detail on the care they offer.
Specialised care not covered by verification
Depending on the type of care you are looking for, some providers specialise in delivering certain types of health support. This can be in areas such as dementia, terminal illness, hearing, or vision, for example.
These are not covered by the verification framework and are self-nominated by providers. Also, the types of health support available vary across aged care homes, Commonwealth Home Support Programme services, Home Care Packages, and short-term care services.
You can use the Health support filter on Find a provider to search for a provider who caters to your needs.
Find out more about the assessment and verification process
Since the introduction of the My Aged Care Provider Specialisation Verification Framework on 27 June 2022, providers can apply to have their claims to deliver specialised care to diverse groups verified. Since 27 February 2023, any unverified specialisation claims have been removed from provider profiles on the My Aged Care website.