ACCAT re assessment

I have a question regarding ACCAT reassessment. My father fell and broke his hip 18 months ago. As he had some complication ( internal bleeding) after his surgery he was deemed to weak for rehab at the public hospital. This meant a immediate discharge to a nursing home with a high care ACCAT assessment. As there was no physiotherapy offered in the home we employed one privately to get him up weight bearing and as mobile as possible. He has no other health problems but is in a high care ward which is almost exclusively dementia patients. He would like to move to a more suitable place where he has some independent etc. Is it possible to have an ACCAT downgraded in this situation?

Hi Sansan,
You can always ask to have another ACAT done particularly as you believe your father has improved. It is a fact that these days people coming into aged care homes tend to generally have higher care needs than previous and many have a diagnosis of dementia. Many of those who would have come in as “low needs” residents in the past are now staying at home and utilising the government funded Home Care packages. Depending on which area you are looking at there may be some aged care homes that have a higher mix of less “unwell” residents. You would need to visit the home to both get a feel of the place and speak with the manager to verify the resident mix etc. I would definitely be looking for a home that has allied health services available ie Physio, podiatry, dental etc. Depending on your fathers health and level of mobility/independence now, another option may be to move your father into a serviced apartment within a retirement village. These are becoming increasingly popular as they provide a supportive environment and you can bring Home Care services into the home as required. I hope this helps,
The agedcare101 team