Fees & Charges - Questions & Answers
How much is the Daily Resident Contribution and what does it cover?
The Daily Resident Contribution helps pay for your daily living costs such as meals and refreshments, cleaning, laundry, heating and cooling, personal care and activities etc.
The contribution amount is set by the Department of Health and Ageing and varies according to your pension, DVA status and private income.
The current maximum contribution for new residents is $41.34 per day and is indexed annually on 20 March and 20 September in line with movements in the Aged Pension.
What are Accommodation Bonds?
Accommodation Bonds are compulsory loans to The Alphington from the resident for the term of their stay. Income received by The Alphington from the resident’s bond contributes to the facility's running costs associated with resident’s accommodation. This includes repairs and maintenance, garden upkeep, rates, insurance, refurbishment and care equipment purchases etc.
The bond is returned to the resident or their estate when they leave the facility less a monthly retention fee taken for a maximum of five years. The current retention amount is $318.00 per month which is indexed annually.
The Alphington accommodation bonds range from $300,000 to $450,000 depending on the room.
I have assets but not enough cash to pay the bond immediately, what can I do?
You can choose to either partially pay or defer payment of the agreed lump sum bond and pay interest instead. This will give you time to sell your house or liquidate other assets. In fact some residents never actually settle the bond. It suits them to pay interest every month on the outstanding amount.
The interest rate is set by The Department of Health and Ageing at the date of resident entry into care.
Can I choose a combination of Lump Sum Bond and Interest Payments?
Your professional financial planner is the right person to determine the mix between a lump sum bond and/or a monthly interest program that is best for you. The Alphington offers a range of bond programs that could help your financial planner to:
- Maximise your pension
- Minimise your Daily Care Fees
- Minimise deemable assets and hence Income Tested Fees
- Retain your Family Home
Is the Bond Protected?
Importantly, residents bonds are protected in two ways; firstly The Alphington’s independent auditor investigates and certifies our capacity to repay bonds as and when they fall due and secondly The Department of Health and Ageing will step in to fully reimburse the resident in any instance of facility default.
What are Income Tested Fees?
The Department of Health and Ageing operates on a user pay system for residents whose income exceeds “the threshold”. The fees range between $0 and $66 per day and are levied on residents by CentreLink and collected by The Alphington on behalf of the federal government. Alphington Aged Care does not receive any portion of resident Income Tested Fees and recommends that you refer to your professional financial planner or CentreLink for more information on these fees.
What Other Charges Apply?
Charges apply for a range of medical, entertainment and sundry services on a user pays basis. This would range from doctors fees to dieticians and podiatrists services to daily delivered newspapers and optional special outings to concerts and luncheons that fall outside the usual facility activities stream.
If you have any questions regarding fees and charges at The Alphington we invite you to email our Finance Manager Chris Thomas at .
