Dementia care in an aged care home
What it is, who it suits, how to find it, what to ask and what it costs, followed by the 0 homes in our list that record dementia care.
Which aged care homes offer dementia care?
Most aged care homes care for residents living with dementia, so the real questions are how well, and whether the person needs a secure (memory support) area. Our data records dementia care at 0 homes. Look at staffing, how the home responds when someone is distressed, and whether there is safe outdoor space, not just the label.
What dementia care in an aged care home means
Dementia care in an aged care home is ordinary residential care, given by staff who understand how dementia changes memory, communication and behaviour. Many people living in aged care homes have dementia, so nearly every home provides this care day to day. What varies is the setting, the staff training and how the home responds when someone becomes distressed.
Some homes have a secure area, often called a memory support unit, for people at risk of leaving and getting lost. Others care for people with dementia throughout the home. Whichever model a home uses, look for a calm, smaller living area, easy access to a garden, and routines built around the person rather than the roster.
Changed behaviours, such as distress, agitation or calling out, are often a way of communicating pain, fear, boredom or an unmet need. Good homes look for the cause before reaching for medication. Restrictive practices, which include sedating medicines and locked areas, are regulated: a home may use them only as a last resort, with informed consent from the person or their representative, and must set them out in a behaviour support plan that is reviewed.
Who it suits
- Someone whose dementia means they can no longer live safely at home, even with support
- Someone who becomes lost, leaves home at night or no longer recognises danger (ask about secure areas)
- Someone with changed behaviours that home care workers or family cannot manage safely
- A family carer who is exhausted, or whose own health is suffering
How to find it
- Get an aged care assessment through My Aged Care (1800 200 422). Mention the diagnosis and any behaviours, so the assessment reflects the care needed.
- Shortlist homes close enough for regular visits. Familiar faces matter a great deal to someone with dementia.
- Ask each home whether it has a secure area, how many people live in it, and whether a room is free in that area, not just elsewhere in the home.
- Visit more than once, including in the late afternoon, when many people with dementia are more unsettled.
- Read the home's star ratings, especially residents' experience and staffing, on its profile here or on My Aged Care.
Questions to ask each home
- How many staff are with residents in the dementia area during the day, in the evening and overnight, and is a registered nurse on site at all times?
- What dementia training have your care staff done, and how recently?
- Tell me about the last time a resident became very distressed. What did staff do?
- How do you decide whether someone needs the secure area, and who is involved in that decision?
- How many residents are on antipsychotic or sedating medicines, and how often are they reviewed?
- Can residents walk outside safely whenever they want to?
- How will you let us know when something changes?
What it costs
There is no separate government fee for dementia care. Residents pay the same fees as anyone else: the basic daily fee of $68.93 a day (as at 20 September 2026), a room price set by the home, and means-tested contributions that depend on income and assets. A room in a secure area can be priced differently from other rooms in the same home, so ask for the price of the specific room.
General information only, not financial advice. See how aged care fees work or try the fee estimator.
Free government and advocacy help lines
- National Dementia Helpline (Dementia Australia) 1800 100 500Information and support for people living with dementia and their families, 24 hours a day.
- Dementia Support Australia 1800 699 799Government-funded advice, 24 hours a day, when changes in behaviour are hard to manage, at home or in an aged care home.
- My Aged Care 1800 200 422Book an aged care assessment, and find homes.
Homes in our list that record dementia care
Our data records services for 0 of the 1,098 homes we list, and 0 of those record dementia care. A home missing from this list may still offer it, and services change, so confirm with each home.
0 homes recording dementia care, sorted by overall government star rating, then by name.
| Home | Location | Overall rating | Residents' experience | Staffing | Published room price |
|---|
No homes match these filters.
Questions about dementia care
Does someone with dementia need a dementia-specific home?
Not always. Many people with dementia live well in a general aged care home with staff who understand dementia. A secure area is usually considered when someone is at real risk of leaving and getting lost, or of coming to harm. The assessment, the GP, the home and the family all have a say.
Can a couple stay together if one partner has dementia?
Sometimes. Some homes can offer rooms close together or a shared room, but a secure area may not suit the partner without dementia. Ask each home what it has done for couples before.
What is the Specialist Dementia Care Program?
A small government program of specialist units for people with very severe changed behaviours that a regular home cannot manage. Stays are meant to be transitional, with a plan to move to a regular home once things settle. Dementia Support Australia (1800 699 799) can explain how referral works.
Will the home use medication to manage behaviour?
Restrictive practices, which include sedating medicines and locked areas, are regulated: a home may use them only as a last resort, with informed consent from the person or their representative, and must set them out in a behaviour support plan that is reviewed. You can ask how often the home uses them, and you should be involved in decisions.