Our Services – How We Can Help

Before engaging us, you will have a one hour obligation free appointment with one of our Aged Care Specialists.

Obligation Free Appointment

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.

REQUEST YOUR FREE APPOINTMENT

Funding Advice

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:

  • The impact of selling, keeping or renting the family home on age pensions and aged care fees (this can make a BIG difference – take a look at our case studies).
  • The affordability of care in your chosen facility.
  • The best way to pay for your aged care.
  • How your choices affect the resident’s estate.  If the person entering care no longer has the capacity to update their Will, it is important to make sure that the decisions you make will still see their estate planning wishes met.

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.

Residential Care Liaison and Negotiations

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.

Services Australia / DVA Liaison

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!

Third Party Assistance for Enduring Powers of Attorney

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.

Ongoing Services Australia/DVA Reporting Service

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.

What Our Clients Say

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.