Moving Into Residential Care – When Is The Right Time? - October Newsletter
- Kate Helmore
- Oct 7
- 6 min read
Making the decision to move into a residential care facility is no easy choice. Most of us want to remain living in our homes for as long as possible, but there does come a time when residential care is the next best step. I have many families contact me unsure if it’s the right time. Whilst there’s no black and white answer to ‘the right time’ to move, I wanted to take the opportunity to take you through some of the signs it might be time to start looking and the benefits of being proactive moving into care.
For this reason, the theme I’ve chosen for October is
“Moving Into Residential Care – When Is The Right Time?”
Approximately 40% of older Australians will use residential aged care in their lifetimes (Source). Despite persistent focus on ‘ageing at home’ the number of permanent residential care users has increased by 15%, however residents are in care for shorter periods of time. In 2023, the average length of stay in permanent residential care was 22 months, just shy of 2 years (Source). This is compared to 2007-2008 the average length of stay was 34-35 months, which reduced to around 30 months in 2016-2018 (Source). This potentially indicates that ageing Australians are remaining in their homes for longer and are higher care when entering residential care settings.
So, when is the right time to move into care?!
This is the million-dollar question. Obviously, no one can predict exactly how someone’s health will progress, so it’s a delicate balance of weighing up current health and projected decline. I’ve tried to break this down into four key steps, but if you’re feeling unsure about how to apply this to your situation, please feel free to give me a call and we can talk through it together.
**Please let me be clear that the information below is general in nature and not considered medical advice. To determine the best plan for yourself or a loved one, I recommend speaking with your own health professionals or arrange an individualised consult with an aged care advisor like myself.
1. Take stock of current health
Understanding your health and its potential trajectory is very helpful when considering the right time to enter residential care. Conditions like arthritis, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, many types of cancer and hearing and/or vision loss are commonly managed in the community. People living with dementia can also remain in the community for quite some time, often only requiring residential care during the latter stages of their illness.
If you are living with a degenerative illness or chronic disease that you know will rapidly progress and require higher levels of care, this may indicate it’s time to start considering residential aged care.
2. Maximise Home Care services
Without sounding like a broken record, I’ll always advocate for clients to maximise services within the home before moving into residential care. A high-level home care package can assist with showering, medications, wound care, transport, shopping assistance and household chores, which can go a long way for keeping someone independent at home.
This is also largely dependent on other supports in the individual’s life e.g. is there a partner or carer that lives with them? Are there family or friends nearby who can assist? Are these supports sustainable? If you can create a network of formal and informal supports around the individual that provide them with the care they need, without anyone being under significant stress or burnout, then they can remain at home.
3. Monitor for ‘red flags’
For me there are a few non-negotiable ‘red flags’ that I look out for with clients. I’ve tried to provide plenty of detail as I believe the context is very important, but these are things I query with clients who are on the fence about their loved ones requiring care.
• Are they living on their own?
If yes, do they have regular check-ins and a personal alarm pendant in case of an emergency?
• Are they able to safely manage their medications?
If not, are they accepting of home care nursing to administer for them?
• Are they able to transfer independently?
If not, could they get out of the home if there was an emergency e.g. fire? If the answer is no, then I recommend people search for residential care immediately.
• Has the individual had any falls in the past 12 months?
If yes, were they able to seek help when they fell? Depending whether this has occurred multiple times or if it was a serious incident, it may also flag that it’s time to investigate residential care.
• Are their concerns for their safety or the safety of others?
E.g. are they living with dementia and could potentially leave the stove on or wander off down the street and get lost? If yes, then it’s time to start looking into residential care.
• If there is a carer involved, is their current care arrangement sustainable?
E.g. are there signs of carer stress or burnout? If so, it is likely time to start looking into residential care options.
These are some of the key things I watch for with clients and encourage them to continue to monitor. At the end of the day it’s about ensuring the individual and those around them are safe.
I think it’s worth noting that some older people will tick many of these ‘red flag’ boxes and still decline seeking residential care. This can be incredibly challenging for families as they feel they know what’s best for them, but cannot force them.
In this situation it’s most important to consider whether the individual has sound decision making capacity e.g. do they have a cognitive impairment or mental health disorder that impacts their ability to make decisions?
If the individual is of sound mind but strongly feels they don’t wish to go into care, that is their decision to make.
However, if the individual has impaired decision-making capacity and is unable to properly understand the risks of the situation, it may be a situation where family and/or friends need to intervene. In this situation there are state-based civil and administrative tribunals (SACAT in South Australia) where you can apply to make decisions on their individuals’ behalf under the Guardianship and Administration Act. Often referred to as ‘Special Powers’ or a Section 32 are legal orders that can direct someone to live and be detained in a particular place e.g. residential aged care.
It's always preferable for the individual to choose to go into care, however if they are putting themselves or others at risk and have impaired decision-making capacity, then there are protections in place.
4. Start applications before a crisis
Most of us don’t know when a crisis is about to occur. There is no crystal ball to say when someone will fall or have a stroke. However, if you’ve read through the steps above and feel like yourself or a loved one have several health conditions which are declining, have had ‘near-miss’ incidents or a few red flags, it is better to apply now before a crisis.
The positives of applying on your own terms are you have greater choice and control about where you end up. If you know you’d like to remain in an area close to home and have two or three preferred facilities, you have the greatest chance of moving into one of these when you do so proactively.
As of 23rd September 2025, residential aged care facilities in South Australia were at 92% capacity with 356 hospital patients awaiting placement in residential facilities (Source). In my 10+ years in aged care, there’s never been a greater demand for beds in facilities.
This means if you do wait until a crisis and end up in hospital, the hospital are under significant pressure to discharge you to an aged care facility ASAP. In reality this means, wherever there is a bed next available, you’re going. You do not have anywhere near the same amount of choice and control if a hospital is placing you into care.
I don’t want any of this to sound like a threat, I feel passionate about ensuring people understand the risks of leaving it too late and can make an informed decision about when to move. Many clients will still choose not to move into care proactively and that is absolutely their choice to do so. However, for those who are on the fence and feel they may need additional care soon, moving slightly before you feel you have to is usually the best way to end up in your preferred area or facility.
As always, please feel free to pass this newsletter on to friends or family. If they want to subscribe, they can do so via my website.
If you want to have a look through some old podcast episodes, you can search for ‘The Truth About Ageing’. I release episodes sporadically which are available through your favourite podcast app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify) or at www.navigateagedcare.com.au/podcast.
Occasionally I also post updates on socials, which you can find at:
Facebook - @navigateagedcareau
Instagram - @thetruthaboutageing
Big love,
Kate.
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