If you receive aged care services, you have rights.

You have the right to:

• personal privacy 
  
• be involved in decisions that affect you 
  
• be treated with dignity and respect 
  
• good quality care that meets your needs 
  
• full and effective use of your personal, civil, legal and consumers rights 
  
• complain and take steps to sort out any problems 
  
• advocacy support. 
  

To learn more about your rights, you can read the:

• Charter of Residents’ Rights and Responsibilities in Residential Care if you receive care in a residential nursing home or National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care service 

• Charter of Care Recipients’ Rights and Responsibilities in Home Care if you receive home care, Commonwealth home support services or National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care services. 
  

If you receive Australian Government subsidised care, you have the right to raise any concerns about the care you or someone else is receiving. We encourage you to try to raise your concern with the service provider first as this can achieve a fast and sustainable outcome. If you are unable to resolve your concern with the service provider, you can contact  1800 550 552.

Learn more about the complaint process, including how you can lodge a complaint, tips for raising a concern effectively, the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner’s process for resolving complaints, and services available to help you to make a complaint.

For more information, please visit Aged Care Complaints Commissioner website.

New Charter of Age Care Rights commencing  July 2019

The minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP announced a new Charter of Aged Care Rights (the Charter).

This single charter of rights across aged care is part of the Single Aged Care Quality Framework and will take effect from 1 July 2019 This is the new charter:

I have the right to:

safe and high quality care and services

be treated with dignity and respect

have my identity, culture and diversity valued and supported

live without abuse and neglect

be informed about my care and services in a way I understand

access all information about myself, including information about my rights, care and services

have control over, and make choices about, my care, personal and social life, including where choices involve personal risk

 have control over, and to make decisions about, the personal aspects of my daily life, financial affairs and possessions

my independence

be listened to and understood

have a person of my choice, including an aged care advocate, support me or speak on my behalf

complain free from reprisal, and to have my complaints dealt with fairly and promptly

personal privacy and to have my personal information protected

exercise my rights without it adversely affecting the way I am treated

Activus will be including this Charter in its Client Welcome Packs. We encourage you to read it and to sign and send it back to us.