@JohnK Sorry to hear about your father. You need to ensure a few things are done now.
Your parent's wills need to be updated and they'll need to account for either party dying first. If either one dies intestate then it will seriously complicate matters. Get them to plan their funerals covering every detail. Also, get the appropriate power's of attorney prepared. Done properly the POA can assist all involved.
Start looking at aged care homes. Unfortunately relying on a government funded place will severely limit opportunities. And be prepared for interminable waiting for things to happen and then when they do, literally having minutes to respond. Note that your father will likely be required to share a room. The hospital will have staff who can give basic advice of the aged care home process.
When mum had a fall last year we checked that the will was up to date and that her funeral plans were still current. Mum had been proactive and ensured it was current, all her wishes had been recorded after discussion with her lawyer.
Mum's lawyer was able to support us with permission to sell her house ready to pay the RAD. My sister and I had POA and worked together with mum, her lawyer and the broker to ensure her move was done fulfilling her wishes and looking after her best interests. My sister discussed nursing homes with Mum and inspected a couple near her preferred location. In a stroke of genius and with mum's consent we engaged a licensed financial advisor and aged care broker. The broker was invaluable in ensuring all of the financial matters were ready for the move to the nursing home when mum was ft enough to move.
Whilst in hospital the aged care assessment team completed the paperwork confirming that mum needed to go to a nursing home. Mum was in hospital for about 16 weeks and the hospital was pressuring her to move to a nursing home. We discussed this with the broker and she
handled the hospital. When a bed became available at mum's preferred nursing home the broker grabbed it and then asked us if mum wanted it. Of course we did, the broker had seen that it was available on-line and grabbed it within minutes of it being posted. Then we had 24 hours to get mum from the hospital to the nursing home or the room could potentially be given to someone else. Again the broker handled the transfer and it was done in a timely manner.
The broker handled all of the financial matters and with mum's consent, invested the left over money from the house sale to minimise the amount of daily fee contributions. The broker spent countless hours on the phone to Centrelink ensuring they had all of the required details and that mum paid the correct fees to the nursing home and that her pension was correct. The broker and the lawyer were both consummate professionals and let the other do their stuff and worked together when required.
Mum loved the nursing home and after some rehabilitation was able to get around on her electric wheelchair. She continued to use the Internet after I got it connected (first in the home to have her own connection) and was able to keep in touch with us and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and her friends
Mum was in the nursing home for about 15 months before dying in August 2025. Because everything had been planned the funeral was exactly as mum wanted and all of the financial matters were easy to finalise. Again the broker and lawyer worked together on a very professional way and quickly finalised all matters including distribution of the assets. I notified the broker of mum's passing in the morning so she could consider grabbing the room for another client.
John, you've got a lot of things that will need to happen in the near future and I wish you and your parents all the very best for this hard time in all of your lives.
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