Premium & 5-star aged care
Luxury aged care: what your money actually buys
If you want the best money can buy for a parent, you should have it — but go in clear-eyed. The single most useful thing we can tell you: a high room price buys a beautiful room, not better clinical care. Here's how to get the premium experience and genuinely good care, not just a nice lobby.
The honest bit: care quality is regulated to the same standard everywhere and measured by the independent ACQSC star rating — which has nothing to do with the RAD. A $1.2m-RAD home can score worse on residents' experience than a modest one. So check the official rating first, then enjoy the chef and the day spa.
What premium homes offer
Large private rooms with ensuites, chef-led dining, cafes, cinemas, day spas, beautiful gardens and concierge-style service. Most charge an extra-services fee (commonly $20–$120/day, on top of the standard fees) for these hotel-style features, and the room price (RAD) usually runs $650,000 to $1.2m+. Remember the RAD is refundable — it's an asset parked with the home, not money spent.
How to judge a luxury home (in the right order)
- The ACQSC Star Rating, especially Residents' Experience — an independent survey the provider can't coach.
- Care minutes vs target and the clinical quality measures — is the nursing actually there?
- Then the room, the food, the facilities, the feel. Tour twice, including at a meal and in the evening.
Higher-end homes in our directory
Homes with the highest published room prices. Premium price — but always check each one's ACQSC rating on its profile before deciding.
Want a shortlist of genuinely good premium homes?
Tell us the area and what matters, and we'll hand-pick high-end homes that also rate well on care quality — not just the prettiest lobby. Free for families, no obligation, no spam.
Thanks — we're on it.
We'll be in touch within one business day with a hand-picked shortlist of homes that fit. If it's urgent, you can also call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
Common questions
Luxury aged care — your questions
Does a more expensive aged-care home mean better care?
Not necessarily — and this is the most important thing to understand. The price of a room (the Refundable Accommodation Deposit, or RAD) reflects the real estate: a private ensuite, a harbour view, concierge and fine dining. It does NOT buy better clinical care. Care quality is regulated to the same standard everywhere and measured by the ACQSC star rating, which is independent of price. A $1.2m-RAD home can have a worse rating than a supported-resident home down the road. Always check the ACQSC rating and the residents'-experience score before you're swayed by the lobby.
What does a "luxury" or "5-star" aged-care home actually offer?
Premium homes typically offer larger private rooms with ensuites, hotel-style dining and chefs, cinemas, day spas, cafes, gardens, and a higher staff-to-resident ratio for hospitality (not necessarily for clinical care). Many charge an "extra services" or "additional services" fee (often $20–$120/day on top of the standard fees) for these hotel-style features. The RAD on a premium room commonly runs $650,000 to well over $1.2 million.
How do I judge a premium home properly?
Lead with the official ACQSC Star Rating and especially the Residents' Experience sub-rating (an independent survey the provider can't coach). Then look at care minutes vs the mandated target and the clinical quality measures. Only after that should the room, the food and the facilities sway you. A beautiful home with a 2-star residents' experience is not a good home. Tour at least twice, including at a meal and in the evening.
Is a high RAD a good way to use the family's money?
A RAD is fully refundable — it's an asset parked with the home and returned (to the resident or their estate) when they leave, so it's not "spent". It also sits favourably in the aged-care and pension means tests in some situations. But tying up $1m+ has trade-offs. This is exactly the kind of decision worth running past an accredited aged-care financial adviser; the free Services Australia Financial Information Service (132 300) is a sensible first call. General information only, not personal advice.