It’s been a particularly busy period the first half of January this year as I’ve been inundated with clients under 65, with ages ranging from the youngest at 56 and the oldest at 62 seeking my services as an Aged Care Consultant. Each of these clients have required accommodation within an aged care facility because they are not able to access disability streams. The reasons for requiring the services of an aged care facility range from extreme health issues such as early onset Alzheimer’s, brain cancer which has metastasized from ovarian cancer, paralysis from an operation on a brain tumour and the list goes on!
Two of my clients still have teenage children living at home and, in both cases, their spouse is not old enough for a pension, so their spouses need to work to support the family. My current clients have all required the services of an Aged Care Financial Planning specialist, some to apply for a disability pension and others to protect the financial situation of the spouse and children remaining at home. All but one of my clients has required a fully funded bed.
As you can appreciate, these situations are extremely distressful for the families, and given the ages I am dealing with, a wake-up call for me at my age that I could be in the same position.
I have been very appreciative of the empathy and concern from some of the aged care providers I have approached whilst assisting these recent clients. We have been given some priority and a level of accommodation beyond my expectations. I am always so pleased when I can assist my clients who are in difficult situations to find suitable aged care accommodation.