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Aged care finance

What is the Best Way to Fund Your Aged Care Costs?

FREE guide from Seniors First. Downloaded by thousands of Australians since its introduction in 2008.

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Traditionally people have often sold their family homes to pay for entry fees (what were known as ‘Accommodation Bonds). But with the government’s current emphasis on a ‘user pays’ system, retaining their homes and using aged care finance (such as a Reverse Mortgage) is an increasingly attractive option.

In July 2014, the Living Better Living Longer reforms came into force. People moving into aged care are now required to pay one of the following as an ‘entry fee’ for aged accommodation:

Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD)
Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP)

The ‘RAD’ is an upfront lump sum payment to a nursing home. The fee is set by the facility, and although the current average payment amount could range from is $300,000 to $400,000, it can be much higher in some areas.

In addition, a new ‘Means-Tested Daily Fee’ has been introduced which may add significantly to your overall care costs if the house is sold. Using a Reverse Mortgage to fund or part-fund your aged care accommodation is now a viable alternative for you.

How Does Aged Care Finance Work?

Looking into the fees and charges associated with aged care finance can be quite confusing. It is beneficial to take professional help before deciding on your aged care finance. Seniors First has some valuable resources and access to a number of lenders who can provide Reverse Mortgages to pay for aged care following the guidelines set by the Government. This allows the borrower to release up to 45% of the home value (depending on the age of the borrower) with no requirement for regular monthly repayment - the interest is capitalised each month onto the loan balance.

The amount borrowed, plus any accumulated interest (including compound interest) and fees are then repaid when the property is eventually sold.

So, for pensioners and retirees who have a limited income, Reverse Mortgages are the preferred method for aged care finance. In some cases, where self-funded retirees have enough income to service a conventional mortgage, Seniors First will recommend a home or investment loan to finance aged care & accommodation.

A Reverse Mortgage loan may be a good solution for aged care finance if:

the family wants to retain the home for emotional reasons
a spouse or family member is still living in the home and a sale is not possible
the resident wants to keep the option of ‘moving back home’
it is a poor property market and a bad time to sell the home
your financial planner recommends this as a strategy to minimise your costs or improve your cash-flow

What Our Clients Say...

Michelle P.

2 days ago

Palka has been incredibly helpful and supportive during the whole process of applying for the reverse mortgage. She explained everything very thoroughly and has been responsive to all our questions. We cannot recommend her highly enough. Thank you Palka 😍😍

Tina G.

4 days ago

Palka was very helpful, informative and supportive throughout the whole process. Would highly recommend her!

Jacqueline K.

5 days ago

I received outstanding service from Adam Oakley at Seniors First. With extensive experience in customer value creation, I do not say that lightly. Adam treated me with dignity and respect. He listened carefully, understood the outcomes I was seeking, and thoughtfully translated that understanding into a solution genuinely suited to my circumstances. His knowledge, sound judgement and professionalism inspired confidence throughout. It was an exceptional experience, in every respect, and I would recommend Adam and Seniors First without hesitation. Jacqueline Kelly

Beth M.

1 week ago

We recently used Seniors First to organise a Reverse Mortgage. Our agent was Cheryl Maclean who guided us through the whole process with absolute professionalism with the 'human touch' first & foremost. We would recommend both Seniors First & Cheryl Maclean if you are thinking of a Reverse Mortgage as it's a big decision to make & one that suited our circumstances.

Desley

2 weeks ago

Palka from Seniors First was extremely helpful and supportive through the entire process. She was helpful and able to explain any questions I had and supported me through the whole process. I would definitely recommend her services.

Peta R.

2 weeks ago

I was extremely pleased with all the help i received from Adam at Seniors First. He was patient and understanding with my questions. I would recommend him to my friends should they need to go down this path.

Mike “Magyarmeister.” R.

2 weeks ago

My experience with Seniors First has been exceptional. My dealings with my personal broker Palka Kumar have been and are excellent. Palka has been a wonderful person to deal with and has been extremely helpful in all aspects of the process. Thank you.

Sue T.

2 weeks ago

I am been blown away with all aspects of the experience with your company and the lovely and helpful staff

victor D.

3 weeks ago

Seema provided timely and useful consulting support throughout the setup process. She was a pleasure to work with.

Stephen B.

3 weeks ago

We would like to thank Cheryl for all her help and her excellent way of looking after every detail of the process. From start to the finish of the application she was amazing. Cannot thank her enough.

Judith T.

3 weeks ago

I would highly recommend Seniors First to anyone who is uncertain where to start in the reverse mortgage process. Their website is excellent. Adam Oakley made the application process so clear and precise. He was very knowledgeable and ever so patient in answering all my questions and explaining all the various options available. Thank you Adam for creating such a positive experience. My family and I are very happy with the outcome. Much appreciated…Judy

evelyn G.

3 weeks ago

From start to finish going through the whole process of the loan I found Cheryl Maclean has helped me greatly with every aspect of it she has always been accessible when ever I had a question that I was not sure of and it didn't matter what time it was so I would highly recommend Cheryl from Seniors First the place to go if you are thinking of a Reverse Mortgage Broker

Glenn R.

4 weeks ago

Andrew has been outstanding. He has assisted us in a professional manner and was always across our needs. We are very impressed and would recommend him to anyone seeking a capable broker.

Dana H.

4 weeks ago

Palka Kumar has made the process of applying for a reverse mortgage very easy. She has been extremely helpful, patient and was available at all times to explaining the whole process to us. I highly recommend Palka to anyone who is interested in applying for a reverse mortgage.

Lisa H.

4 weeks ago

Greg was excellent and guided me through the process which can be long and complex

paul B.

4 weeks ago

Having selected Seniors First as our broker, Seema took on our case and we are glad she did, Guiding us through the process, with person to person communication together with the Serah portal. Tks Seema.

Stephen L.

1 month ago

Palka Kumar brokered with us for the best options to take out a Reverse mortgage loan. We found her to be fully conversed with the process and able to answer every question we had about concerns. Always very pleasant and helpful, taking the stress out of what is a very big decision to make. Thank you Palka for your assistance and we would recommend you to anyone wanting to talk on this subject and financing in general.

Ian B.

1 month ago

At age 86 I was surprised to find that the bank I relied on for eighty years no longer provided reverse mortgages. Although very wary of the web I searched and found Seniors First which appeared well respected. My journey through the application process and the complications presented by an existing Government HEAS loan has been guided every step of the way to completion by their R. M. Specialist Cheryl Maclean. Thank you Cheryl and Seniors First – 100%.

Ramsay S.

1 month ago

Professional, caring, and very pleasant indeed! I don’t think there are many people out there who work with such dedication, and this is my second reverse mortgage signed successfully with Palka.

Mario B.

1 month ago

from the time we started to the time everything was done,Cheryl Maclean has been so helpful to us she has been there for us anytime we needed her.She is a huge credit to the company and it has been a pleasure knowing her .

Dina B.

1 month ago

Our experience with Cheryl has been nothing but amazing. She has helped along this process with much thought and dedication, she has been so patient and supportive throughout the whole experience. We definitely recommend Cheryl. Even when things were getting a bit complicated for us she was always patient. So many phone calls that we made to her she never made us feel like we were a nuisance. A very high praise to her. I’m sure as she went home at night she will feel she’s doing a great days work, for us and anyone else she’s helping. Thank you so much Cheryl for your help at this time of this experience we went through together. We are very grateful that you have been there for us. A very special thanks from Mario and Dina.

How Seniors First Reverse Mortgage Can Help

Senior First can help you to find out how much equity you have in your home, and how you might be able to use it for your needs.

If you want to learn about reverse mortgages in detail, you can download our guide, Reverse Mortgage Secrets.

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Industry Awards & Recognition

Senior's First has developed a reputation as an award-winning Reverse Mortgage broker, and a trusted name among public policy organisations, the aged care industry, senior’s groups, older borrowers and their families.