Before engaging us, you will have a one hour obligation-free appointment with one of our Aged Care Specialists. At the end of this, we can let you know if we can be of service or if you are already on track. Our fee for services is fixed and agreed on prior to our engagement. We can project manage as little or as much of the process as you require.
We are proud of the fact that this is often the only appointment some people need from us – we will NEVER recommend our service unless we believe that we will add value to your unique situation.
We will examine your financial situation and compare funding options to help you decide the payment strategy that suits you best. This will include considering:
We will provide you with a Statement of Advice (SOA) which compares your shortlisted options side by side, so you can see the impact of each option on pension benefits, aged care fees, cash flow, tax and assets over time.
We will liaise directly with your residential care provider on your behalf, negotiating fees and providing them with the information they need to offer you a place in their facility and to prepare agreements.
If you are employing a placement service to help find a residential care provider, we are happy to work closely with them as well.
As part of our aged care advice process, we become Services Australia/DVA nominees for a period of six months. This includes checking that your fees have been calculated correctly by Department of Human Services (you might be surprised) and also providing quarterly updates to them regularly during this initial entry period.
In addition, we will also help you to complete the forms that Services Australia require, including a new age pension application if you are not already claiming. The SA457 (Request for a Combined Assets and Income Assessment) alone is 25 pages!
Acting as an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) for a parent, spouse or family member can be an overwhelming experience. Sage Care Advice can provide support to allow you to make the right financial decisions for your loved one. Our service provides transparency by providing available funding options to support your decision making.
Services Australia recalculates Means Tested Fees and Daily Accommodation Contributions every three months, so it is essential that this information is kept up to date on their records. We also understand that work and family commitments can make this difficult.
Don't want to deal with Centrelink on an ongoing basis? To help with this, we also offer an optional service to remain as Services Australia/DVA nominees for the person in care. This means that, with your help, we can keep Services Australia up to date with your loved one’s assets and income and assist with any requests you receive from these government departments.
Just like our name ‘Sage’, we are ‘profoundly wise’ and have a genuine desire to provide you and your loved ones with the best solutions. Here is some feedback from some of our clients.
Our family has been working with Bruce, Katie and the Team from Sage Care Advice for sometime now to ensure that our mother was comfortable and financially secure in Residential Aged Care. Unfortunately our beautiful mum Joy passed away on Easter Sunday in the middle of COVID 2020, and the Sage Care Advice team have gone above and beyond with their support and assistance during this difficult time. We are truly grateful for the friendly professional service that the team has always provided us over the years, and we cannot recommend highly enough.
The Sage team were all very receptive to our questions, were flexible and responsive and they all really care about getting the best outcome for their clients.
Thank goodness for Sage and their terrific friendly and informative team, in particular Katie Spence.
When one suddenly needs expert advice on helping their elderly loved ones future, housing, financial needs and dealing with all the hoops of aged care, SAGE should be your first stop and very likely your last. Thanks so much Katie and Bruce.
With elderly parents living on their own the thought of something going wrong was always in the back of my mind. When this did happen and both parents needed full time care, what to do and where to start was overwhelming. The staff at Sage Care Advice came into my life and gave me not only the physical and financial support with the never ending paper work and phone calls but also the emotional support to see a light at the end of the tunnel for my parents to gain the quality care they needed and deserved. I cannot thank Bruce and his team enough and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Sage to any family needing this assistance and support.
From the very first phone call to the team, I was impressed by the professionalism and knowledge of the aged care industry that was displayed. When I met Bruce or our initial face to face meeting, we as a family had already decided that we wanted Bruce and his team to handle all the affairs around getting our Mum into the Aged Care facility of our choice. An engagement of a few months that we felt represented good value for money. In that hour meeting, Bruce and his team did work for us, that my family and I would have struggled with for weeks. I left that meeting feeling that we were in the best of hands. Unfortunately, the following Monday, our Mum passed away. I can’t speak loudly or long enough on the impact that his made to my family at a time of grieving. Thank you Bruce and team, not only do you have unique specialised advice, but you showed and demonstrated to me that you have compassion as well.
The Sage team were all very receptive to our questions, were flexible and responsive and they all really care about getting the best outcome for their clients.
You will never know how much I have appreciated all that you have helped us with. I don’t really think I could have done it without you, Bruce and Haylee. I have also recommended you to other friends of mine. You guys truly are amazing. Thank you.
Not a fan of reviews but in this case I must. These people are simply fantastic. Plain and simple. They helped my sister and I through difficult processes (and a difficult father…) and carried out their tasks in a diligent and caring manner. I cannot recommend these people highly enough to assist you with your parents aged care needs.
Thank you for helping my parents and family through this transitional phase from independent living to aged care/retirement village accommodation. The patient and thorough explanations of the mystery maze which is Aged Care and Centrelink was fabulous and the financial modelling invaluable through this stressful time. Both parents are now settled into their respective new homes and as a family we know that the best financial outcomes were achieved and we can rest easy. Won’t hesitate to get in contact should their circumstances change again.
Bruce and the team at Sage Care Advice are the best Aged Care advisers on the Sunshine Coast. If you want to worry less about your aged care options, and would like to save some time and money while you are at it, give them a call. I wouldn’t dream of referring my clients anywhere else.