The First 48 Hours After Your Parent's Hospital Discharge: Financial Priorities

Your parent has just been discharged from hospital, and everything feels urgent at once. There are calls to make, paperwork to find, and a family to keep informed - all while you're running on little sleep and a lot of worry.

It's an overwhelming moment for any adult child.

What most families don't realise is that the decisions made in those first 48 hours - or the decisions that get delayed because no one knows where to start - can have a significant impact on the financial support available down the track. This isn't about adding pressure to an already stressful situation. It's about knowing which financial steps genuinely matter right now, and which ones can wait.

Why the First 48 Hours Matter Financially

Hospital discharge is often the trigger point for a family's first real conversation about longer-term care. Whether your parent is heading home with extra support, into a short-term rehabilitation facility, or straight into residential aged care, each pathway comes with different funding implications, eligibility criteria, and timelines.

Acting promptly on a few key steps - particularly around Centrelink and aged care assessments - can mean the difference between accessing government funding quickly or waiting weeks longer than necessary.

Step 1: Ask the Hospital About a Social Worker

Before your parent leaves the ward, request a meeting with the hospital's social worker or patient liaison team. This is a step many families overlook entirely.

Hospital social workers can help coordinate discharge planning, connect you with interim support services, and in many cases, initiate referrals for an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment - which is the gateway to most government-funded aged care services in Australia. Getting this referral started before discharge (or immediately after) can meaningfully shorten waiting times.

Step 2: Don't Delay the ACAT Assessment

An ACAT assessment is required before your parent can access Home Care Packages or move into a government-subsidised residential aged care facility. There is no cost for this assessment, but there can be a wait - and that wait begins from the date of referral.

If your parent is likely to need ongoing support at home or a transition into residential care, contact My Aged Care (1800 200 422) as soon as possible to register for an assessment. You can do this on your parent's behalf with their consent.

Even if you're not yet certain which care pathway is right, registering early means the clock starts ticking. You can always make decisions later - but you can't get that waiting time back.

Step 3: Locate the Key Documents

In the middle of a crisis, scrambling to find documents is the last thing you need. If you haven't already, now is the time to locate - or apply for - the following:

Enduring Power of Attorney (financial): This authorises you to make financial decisions on your parent's behalf. Without this document in place, managing Centrelink matters, bank accounts, and aged care fee assessments becomes extremely difficult - sometimes impossible - without going through a lengthy legal process.

Centrelink records and income/assets information: Aged care fees are means-tested, and an accurate Centrelink assessment will determine what your parent pays. Having a clear picture of their assets, income streams, and superannuation balance will make this process much smoother.

Medicare card and healthcare details: Required for registrations, assessments, and care facility admissions.

If an Enduring Power of Attorney is not yet in place, speak with a solicitor as a priority. It is one of the most important documents a family can have - and far easier to put in place before a crisis deepens.

Step 4: Understand the Difference Between Temporary and Permanent Care

Not every hospital discharge leads to permanent residential aged care. Many families use short-term or respite care as a bridge while longer-term arrangements are considered. Understanding the distinction matters financially.

Respite care in a residential aged care facility is available for up to 63 days per financial year and is subsidised by the government following an ACAT assessment. During this time, your family has breathing space to assess what longer-term support looks like - without committing to permanent arrangements prematurely.

If your parent is returning home with support, interim home care services may also be available while you wait for a formal Home Care Package to be assigned.

Step 5: Get Financial Advice Before Committing to Any Fees

Residential aged care fees - including the Basic Daily Fee, Means-Tested Care Fee, and Accommodation Deposit (known as a Refundable Accommodation Deposit, or RAD) - are calculated based on your parent's financial situation. The way assets are structured and how information is presented to Centrelink can significantly affect what your parent is asked to pay on an ongoing basis.

Many families agree to fee arrangements at the point of admission, under significant time pressure, without understanding the long-term financial implications. This is completely understandable in the circumstances - but it is also where specialist financial advice can make a meaningful difference.

Before signing any aged care financial agreements, it is worth speaking with an aged care financial adviser who can model the options and ensure the arrangement genuinely reflects your parent's situation.

You Don't Have to Navigate This Alone

The aged care system is complex, and it was designed for professionals who work in it daily — not for families dealing with it for the first time in the middle of a crisis. If your parent has recently been discharged from hospital and you're not sure where to start, we're here to help.

At Olive Grove Financial Advice, we work with families at exactly this point - providing clear, practical guidance on aged care funding, Centrelink assessments, and financial arrangements, and handling the implementation on your behalf so you can focus on your family.

To speak with Bill and the team, call 1300 924 644 or book in a free call.