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.
In a very confusing, scary and emotional time for my family, when my Mum was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s and needed to go into Permanent Aged Care, SAGE were the thoughtful, helpful guiding hand that we needed. Their staff were kind and efficient and always happy to answer any questions we had, assisting us with the, what seemed like, never ending paperwork, and helping us to understand all the new terminology and rules. I would highly recommend their team and their services to anyone in need when dealing with the Aged Care Industry.
My mother and I were going through some difficulties with the financial side of having my Dad in aged care. We met with Katie and her colleagues and all I can say is that we wished we had done it sooner. They are terrific people to deal with and make clear what the process should look like. They have made what is already a difficult time much easier to handle.
Just wanted to say a very big thank you to you all for the most wonderful customer experience we had with your company. All three of you are a tremendous asset to Sage Care Advice and hopefully the owners appreciate the effort you all put in. Thanks for putting up with my blonde senior moments. Had a few of late. Really appreciate the genuine compassion and caring you all showed to us while sorting out mum’s affairs. Made things a lot easier. Thank you again. Love your work don’t give up your day job ever.
Sage have restored our faith in humanity. Such genuine kindness is not always apparent in life and has allowed my mum to rest a bit easier at night so thank you for that.
I highly recommend Bruce and the team at Sage Care they gave my Mum great advice before going into aged care permanently. They were actually recommended by the aged care facility. I thought I had a good handle on the facts turned out I had no idea. So professional friendly and wise.
My aunty thinks you lot are the best thing since sliced bread.
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.
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.
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.
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.