Live with confidence by choosing the right retirement options
Help at home
You can have short-term help at home after a hospital visit or simply get respite care for a short break.
Whether you’re a senior citizen or living on a pension, you may be able to get help with:
- gardening, home maintenance or modification for safe access
- laundry, cleaning, meal preparation or personal care
- assistive equipment and technology
- transport to shops and appointments
- after-hospital and nursing care
- social support and outings.
To make an informed decision about the at-home care services available to you, visit the Australian Government’s My Aged Care website, or reach out to the following list of community-based services:
- Lions Australia
- Rotary Australia
- Returned and Services Leagues (RSLs)
- Freemasons
- Brotherhood of St Laurence
It’s possible there is a long wait time for government home care packages, so you might consider private assistance in the meantime.
Extra costs for help at home
There may be extra costs and fees involved for getting help at home, including:
- installing modern appliances such as a robotic vacuum cleaners or dishwasher drawers for easier unpacking
- any accessibility changes to your home for wheelchair access or bathroom rails
- upfront payments, such as bonds for new accommodation, plus any ongoing monthly payments for in-home care and maintenance.
Visit the My Aged Care website for more information on pricing or use the Residential Care Fee Estimator to calculate the costs to help you make a decision that best suits your financial situation in your retirement.
A full list of current rates is available on the Department of Human Services website.
Retirement communities
If you’re looking to downsize, you may consider relocating to a retirement community, such as a retirement village or housing estate.
A retirement community means you can have close, shared access to support services and amenities that keep you engaged with your family, social groups and local community.
In this category, there are broad types of retirement communities that mix lifestyle and health needs.
They can include:
- retirement villages - generally stand-alone homes with shared care services
- independent living - smaller housing options that give help with domestic duties
- co-located villages - a retirement village with an aged care home next door
- assisted living - a user-pays model for care with some independence
- land lease or resort communities - activity-based amenity such as swimming pools
- aged care facilities - homes for people who need higher levels of health care.
Tips on choosing a residential community
Research special interest groups in your new local area so you can stay engaged with a community
Find out if your specific cultural, faith-based practice, dietary or language needs are met
Aged care advice from UniSuper
- in-home care and residential aged care options in retirement
- aged care costs and the payment options available
- how to fund payments and optimise cash flow, including selling versus renting out the family home and other financial planning services
- maximising Centrelink and government benefits through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
- estate planning
- tax implications.
Our advisers can also give referrals to aged care placement partner services to help you with residential and home care placement.
If you'd like to speak to someone about aged care, call UniSuper Advice on 1800 823 842.