Questions to ask when choosing a residential aged care home

Choosing a residential aged care home is one of the harder decisions a family makes, and it is often made under time pressure, after a hospital stay or a fall, when energy is already low. The brochures all look similar and the tours are designed to impress. This guide gives you the questions that get past the brochure, so you can compare homes on what actually matters: the care, the people who deliver it, and how the place feels to the person who will live there.

Before you visit, it helps to have the official picture. Every government-funded residential aged care home in Australia carries a Star Rating, published by the regulator, covering overall quality plus residents' experience, compliance, staffing and quality measures. Read our guide to aged care star ratings to understand what the numbers mean, then use the visit to test whether the rating matches reality. You can find verified homes, with their ratings where available, in the residential aged care directory.

Before you go: do the homework

• Check the home's Star Rating and read what sits behind the overall number, especially the staffing and compliance sub-ratings.
• Note whether it has had any recent compliance action from the regulator. This is public information.
• Work out the fees in principle so the tour is about fit, not sticker shock. Our guide to aged care fees explains the accommodation payment, the basic daily fee, and the means-tested care fee.
• If you can, visit more than once, and visit at different times. A mid-morning tour and an unannounced visit near a mealtime tell you different things.

Questions about care

This is the heart of it. Push past general reassurance and ask for specifics.

• How do you assess a new resident's needs, and how often is the care plan reviewed?
• How will you manage my relative's specific conditions (for example dementia, diabetes, mobility limits, swallowing difficulties)?
• Is there a registered nurse on site, and during which hours? Who is in charge overnight?
• How do you handle a resident who becomes unwell at night, and when do you call an ambulance versus manage in-house?
• How do you manage pain, and how do you involve the GP and pharmacy?
• What is your approach to restrictive practices (physical or chemical restraint)? The right answer involves minimising them and clear consent, not routine use.

Questions about staffing

Staffing is the strongest predictor of care quality, and it is where you learn the most.

• What are your staff-to-resident ratios across the day, evening and night?
• How much care time does each resident receive on average, and how does that compare to the target the home reports?
• What is your staff turnover like, and how many of your care staff are permanent versus agency?
• Are care workers allocated to the same residents consistently, so they know the person?
• What training do staff have in dementia care and in the specific needs my relative has?

High agency use and high turnover are worth probing. Consistency of carers matters enormously to someone with memory loss.

Questions about daily life

A home can be clinically competent and still be a poor place to live. Ask about the texture of the day.

• What does a typical day look like? What is there to do, and who organises it?
• Can residents get up, eat and sleep on their own schedule, or is the day heavily routinised?
• What is the food like, who prepares it, and can I see a current menu? Can I join a meal during my visit?
• How do you support residents to get outside and stay physically active?
• How do you keep residents connected to family, community and culture? Our guide to staying connected covers why this matters so much.
• Are visiting hours genuinely open?

Questions about culture, language and identity

The right home for one person is the wrong home for another.

• Do you have staff or programs for my relative's language, cultural or religious background?
• How do you support LGBTI residents, or residents from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds?
• How are couples accommodated if both need care, or if only one does?

Questions about money

• What is the accommodation cost, and what are the payment options (a lump sum, a daily payment, or a combination)?
• What does the basic daily fee cover, and what costs extra?
• Are there additional or extra service fees, and exactly what do they buy?
• What happens to fees and to the room if my relative goes to hospital for an extended period?

Get the key numbers in writing. Read our aged care fees guide so the answers are familiar before you hear them.

Questions about safety and rights

• How do you prevent and respond to falls, pressure injuries and infections?
• How can a resident or family member raise a concern or make a complaint, and what happens then?
• How do you involve families in decisions and keep them informed?
• Can I see your most recent assessment against the Aged Care Quality Standards?

Use your senses on the visit

Some of the most reliable signals are not answers to questions:

• Do residents look clean, comfortable, occupied and at ease, or parked in front of a television?
• Are staff warm and unhurried with residents, and do they know residents by name?
• Does the place smell clean without being drenched in air freshener?
• Are call bells answered while you are there?
• Is it noisy and chaotic, or calm?

Trust your relative's reaction too, if they are able to visit. A place can tick every box on paper and still feel wrong to the person who will live there.

Warning signs

• Vague or defensive answers to direct questions about staffing or ratios.
• Pressure to sign quickly or pay a deposit before you are ready.
• Residents left unattended, unanswered call bells, or a strong smell of urine.
• A reluctance to let you visit unannounced or at a mealtime.
• A poor Star Rating that the home cannot explain or has not acted on.

After the visit

Compare your shortlist on the things that matter most to your relative, not just the nicest foyer. Talk to the person going into care, and to other family members, while the visits are fresh. If you can, speak to a current resident's family. And remember that a placement can be reviewed; if a home turns out to be wrong, moving is difficult but possible.

To compare homes near you, with verification against official registers and Star Ratings where published, browse the residential aged care directory.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important questions to ask an aged care home?

The questions that reveal the most are about staffing (ratios across day, evening and night, turnover, and whether the same carers are allocated to the same residents) and about care (how care plans are reviewed, who is on site overnight, and the home's approach to restrictive practices). Staffing is the strongest predictor of care quality, so press for specifics rather than accepting general reassurance.

Should I visit an aged care home more than once?

Yes, if you can. Visit at different times of day, including near a mealtime, and consider an unannounced visit as well as the formal tour. A staged tour shows the home at its best; a quieter or busier moment shows you how it runs day to day.

How do I check the quality of an aged care home before visiting?

Check the home's Star Rating, published by the aged care regulator, and read the sub-ratings for staffing, compliance, residents' experience and quality measures. Also check for any recent compliance action, which is public. See our guide to aged care star ratings for how to interpret the numbers, then use your visit to test whether the rating matches what you see.

What are the warning signs of a poor aged care home?

Watch for vague or defensive answers about staffing, pressure to sign or pay quickly, unanswered call bells, residents left unattended, a strong smell of urine, reluctance to allow an unannounced or mealtime visit, and a poor Star Rating the home cannot explain. Trust what you see and smell, not just what you are told.

Can we move our relative if the home turns out to be wrong?

Yes. Moving between residential aged care homes is disruptive and takes some arranging, but it is possible, and you should not feel locked in. If care is unsafe or your concerns are not addressed, you can also raise a complaint with the aged care regulator.