Author Alan Maddick 13th November 2020
RAD, DAP, what are these aged care people talking about? If you have started looking for Aged Care Advice and options talk soon turns to RADs and DAPs so what on earth are these things and what is going on?
This is a simple explanation but generally I find its easier to think about things in simple way. When you are talking about Aged Care there are essentially 2 costs that you need to deal with;
- Care fees, this is the cost of actually caring for you (or your loved one) the cost of Nurses, washing bedding, cleaning the facility. Day to day costs, there are 2 main care fees, the basic fee which everyone in Aged Care pays and an additional fee based on your income and assets. (some centers will then charge further fees beyond this for extras like Foxtel for example)
- Accommodation costs. This is the cost of the actual Aged Care Facility, the actual building that you will live in during your time in Aged Care. This is where DAPs and RADs comes into things, the normal and easiest to understand is a RAD, this stands for Refundable Accommodation Deposit, you pay this to the facility at the start of your stay and it will be refunded at the end of your stay including adjusting it up for inflation so you do not lose this money. A DAP is an alternative to a RAD for those who cannot or chose not to pay a RAD, DAP stands for Daily Accommodation Payment, and that is what it is; a daily payment for your room, think of it like paying rent.
Hopefully this helps you understand a little better, if you would like some advice and assistance in what is often a stressful and upsetting time I am available for consultations. My current fees for Aged Care Advice are;
Initial Consultation $275 (up to 1.5hrs)
Further work on your file and calculations of the best strategy for you to minimise fees and maximise government support $220hr.
Please contact me here:
Please note this article is quite brief and does not take into account your personal financial situation. For more information here are some websites with more information.
Australian Unity Australian Unity run a local Aged care home and I find their Website very easy to read and understand with heaps of good information and Aged Care, Fees and how it works.
My Aged Care My Aged Care is the central location for Government Aged Care information and resources.