What is post-hospital care?
Post-hospital care, also known as transitional care, is a specific type of care that aims to help individuals return home or back into pre-existing care after a hospital stay.
Some people, particularly the elderly, may require additional time to recover once being discharged from hospital, and post-hospital care is available to help with this.
What services can post-hospital care provide?
Post-hospital care is a type of service focused on short-term care for individuals, typically for a period of 12 weeks.
These services can include physiotherapy, which is helpful if the reason you were admitted to hospital was due to a trip or fall.
Nursing support is also available, as is access to a social worker if one is required.
Alongside these services, access to help with more general everyday needs is also available to help you recover quickly and effectively.
While the services are intended to only be used for a short time, they focus on each patient as an individual, and staff are trained to help you achieve your own personal goals during the recovery process.
How do I apply for post-hospital care?
During your stay in hospital, a doctor or nurse should let you know if they believe you are going to require some sort of post-hospital care once discharged.
This will then require you to be assessed by an Aged Care Assessment team who will visit you during your stay in hospital, where they will conduct a brief assessment and ask some questions about the nature of your condition.
If the assessment concludes that you require post-hospital care, a team will help you get in contact with a suitable provider to organise the care needed once you are ready.
Do I have to pay for post-hospital care?
While the Australian Government subsidises home care services, including post-hospital care, you are expected to help contribute to the cost of services if you are able to.
These costs typically come in the form of a daily care fee that your post-hospital care provider will set based on the services you require.
Whether you receive post-hospital care from home or from an external aged care facility will also impact the overall cost.
If you opt to receive your care from home, where staff will visit you in your own household to provide care, then the daily care fee will be no more than $10.10 per day.
However, if you receive post-hospital care in a residential setting, such as in an aged care home, this fee can rise to up to $49.07 per day.
What happens if I am already receiving a form of care?
If you are already receiving a form of care, such as being a resident of an aged care home, you may be able to simply receive your post-hospital care from there.
If this is not possible, your place will be held for you until you return, as will anyone who is already receiving a Home Care Package.
