Frequently Asked Questions

• Please do not visit if you are feeling unwell.
• Please present a negative RAT test on arrival. We encourage all visitors to complete a RAT test before arriving at the facility. If you cannot access a RAT test prior to your visit, one will be provided per visit/per day by Juniper at no cost.
• Please have your COVID-19 and influenza proof of vaccinations ready.
• Please always wear a mask.
• Please practice hand hygiene and physical distance 1.5m

Some of our residential aged care homes now have their own online booking page. Please click on the relevant home here to be taken to the correct booking page. Simply select a suitable date and time and then complete the questions to make a booking. You will receive an email confirming your booking.

Juniper Visit is currently being rolled out across Juniper Care homes and is not available at all homes at this stage. Please check back again soon.

You can easily adjust or cancel your booking from the confirmation email you receive. Just click the ‘Reschedule’ button in the confirmation email and follow the prompts.

You can contact My Aged Care directly to start your application. Your application starts with your telephone conversation with My Aged Care who will refer your application onto an aged care assessor who will contact you and ask you a series of questions to help determine the best level of care or assistance for you.

You can contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or Juniper on 1300 313 000 during office hours to discuss your needs.

CHSP Services are subsidised by the Australian Government and providers may ask you to make a small contribution towards your services. We’re here to assist so please contact Juniper to confidentially discuss what fees are involved.

Basic eligibility for Australian Government-funded services requires that you are a person aged 65 or more years old, or 50 years or more for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and you’re requiring assistance with daily living.

To receive care in the home you will need to apply to My Aged Care and then be assessed by a Regional Assessment Team who will determine your eligibility and advise the services you can access.

Depending on your requirements, your Juniper care advisor and care worker will work with you to manage your day-to-day with a focus on your independence and safety at home.

You may be recovering from an illness or an operation or simply need some assistance at home for a short or perhaps longer period of time. Juniper can help you achieve your goals in your own home with services such as:

• Personal care like showering and getting dressed
• Help at home including cleaning and housework
• Social activities and transport

The program also has personalised health care services such as nursing, (south east metro), physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry via one of Juniper’s two metropolitan Day Therapy Centres – or if eligible, in the comfort of your own home.

CHSP is an entry-level home care program for older people, including short-term or more regular help with tasks such as showering and getting dressed, cleaning and housework, support with social outings and transport.

The program also provides personalised health care services such as nursing (south-east metro) physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry via one of Juniper’s two metropolitan Day Therapy Centres or if eligible, in the comfort of your own home.

The Commonwealth Home Support Program replaced HACC services, from 1 July 2018.

All residents are monitored daily by the clinical staff at all Juniper residential aged care homes.  If any residents show signs or symptoms of COVID, the nurse will use the COVID Screening Tool to assess the health and wellbeing of the resident, and based on that assessment, will make contact with the resident’s General Practitioner.  The General Practitioner may instruct a COVID PCR test to be conducted.  The results of the PCR test can take up to 24 hours.

If a staff member or a resident tests positive to COVID-19, the Department of Health is notified and PCR testing of all residents and staff onsite is undertaken.

If a resident in a Juniper residential aged care home and tests positive to COVID-19:

• The resident’s nominated representative will receive a phone call from the Residential Manager or a senior member of staff from that home. This will occur as soon as possible after the COVID test results are confirmed.
• The nominated representative will receive regular updates both via email and also phone calls from the home about the condition of the resident.
• All residents will receive the best care and support with clinical oversight from the Clinical Team onsite and by a General Practitioner.

For privacy and confidentiality reasons Juniper is only permitted to provide health updates to the resident’s nominated representative.  This person will need to pass on any information to other family members.

If a resident’s health deteriorates, and there is a need to transfer a resident to the hospital, this will be discussed with the resident and their nominated representative. Consideration will be given to the resident’s wishes and advanced health directive. These decisions will be based on medical advice and in consultation with the resident’s GP.

If your loved one is at a different Juniper residential aged care home you will receive communication by email from Juniper on the day of the first positive case to inform you of the situation. Outings conducted by the home and or with loved ones can continue in homes where there is no COVID-19, these outings must adhere to the current measures put in place by the WA Government.

If you are a resident of a Juniper Retirement Village or an Independent Living Unit your Juniper co-ordinator will place a copy of a notice from Juniper in your mailbox.

Residents must wear masks and follow all measures implemented by WA health in all common areas see the WA Government information here.

Evidence must be supplied to the Village Coordinator if a resident has a medical exemption from wearing a mask.

Juniper has prepared Outbreak Management Plans for each of its services and facilities and as soon as a positive case is detected this plan and the central Pandemic Response Team are deployed.

Juniper has adequate stocks of PPE and access to the Commonwealth stockpile.

Juniper also works closely with the Public Health Unit, Commonwealth and other stakeholders to ensure the best outcomes for our vulnerable Australians.

Be double vaccinated and have your booster as soon as you are eligible. Encourage your loved ones residents and clients to do the same. Vaccination and the boosters are one of the strongest actions we can all take to reduce the risk for our most vulnerable Western Australians.  Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water and use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

Please do not visit any home if you are unwell or have been to an exposure site.

If your loved one is at a residential aged care home that has a positive COVID-19 case, we will be guided by WA Health regarding when visiting will be allowed.  Initially, the facility will be closed so Juniper can assess the situation. When it is safe, WA Health will advise us of when we can open the home again for visitors. Juniper is committed to enabling social connection as much as possible throughout this period.

If you are visiting home without an outbreak, please be prepared to show evidence of your vaccinations either with a paper copy or through the WA government launched Service WA app.  Please ensure you are well and have not visited an exposure site.

When you visit you will be required to follow the screening process which includes a temperature check, questions and signing of documentation, wearing of a mask, along with the above-mentioned proof of vaccination.

If you have a  medical exemption for mask-wearing, please be prepared to provide this evidence.

Please note all visitation is subject to WA Health requirements, there are exceptions to these requirements for example palliative care/end of life visits.

Juniper has video conferencing in place for residents and loved ones to utilise to remain connected and is soon to release our Partners in Care program for those who would like to participate. This will enable training to be conducted in infection control protocols so loved ones can enter the home and visit. To participate in this program, you will be required to undergo intensive infection prevention and control training and comply with other visiting arrangements designed to protect the safety and well-being of you and your loved one.

When there are positive COVID-19 cases and restrictions implemented we know that mental health, as well as physical health, is vitally important.  Juniper’s Partners in Care service hopes to alleviate any feelings of isolation and stress for both our residents and our families.

Ensure your contact details are up to date with your home/service Manager – so that if we need to contact you urgently, we can do so.  This is the primary method we will use to contact you if there is a positive COVID-19 case. Please provide your email address if you have one.

Where a positive case has been detected and there are residents who have not tested positive, nominated representatives will receive a phone call from a staff member from the site to update you.

To minimise the risk of spreading the virus, where possible residents who are negative of the virus are kept separate from those who have tested positive.

All Juniper staff are well versed in the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including donning and doffing correctly. Juniper has an extremely strong focus on supporting residents and loved ones to remain connected under all circumstances.

If a resident is independently assessed as needing alternative accommodation (due to ill health or for any other reason), Juniper will make reasonable efforts to assist the resident locate and apply for suitable accommodation of the resident within a village, residential care facility, hostel, nursing home, hospital or other appropriate accommodation. However, Juniper is under no obligation to provide such alternative accommodation.

Your entry to residential aged care facilities and your eligibility to receive aged care support services are subject to availability, and to your ability to meet the eligibility and assessment requirements administered by the Commonwealth and/or State Government.

The resident must pay all fees and charges applicable to the alternative accommodation.

If you are willing and able to pay the standard charges for the unit offered to you, we do not require any information about your pension status, or other assets and income.

However, Juniper also strives to offer retirement living for our residents with limited means. So we provide some accommodation on a rental, or reduced fee basis for those meeting the criteria. Applicants must provide a Declaration of Income and Assets from Centrelink (contactable on 132 300) or DVA (contactable on 133 254).

If you have any questions, feel free to contact a Juniper Retirement Living Coordinator on site to discuss options and pricing.

Feel free to contact Centrelink on 132 300 to discuss this question.

Of course! We understand that friends are a vital part of our residents’ life. However, there are a few rules to respect, in order to make sure everyone enjoys their stay whilst being safe. Residents are required to inform the manager of any short stay guests for fire and safety reasons. Prior approval must be obtained for longer stays (ie: more than 14 days in aggregate, for any 12 month period). Approval will not be unreasonably withheld, but may include conditions to preserve the amenity of other residents and an additional Service Fee to cover any increase in operating costs.

We’ve even gone the extra step to make your family and friends feel more welcome! Juniper Rowethorpe in Bentley has a one bedroom, self-contained Holiday Apartment available to visiting friends and family. Accommodating up to two persons, the apartment comes fully furnished with all kitchen equipment and linen at a very reasonable cost. Our Juniper Rowethorpe administration staff can provide more information about this Holiday Apartment option.

Some Juniper retirement villages, which are co-located with Residential Aged Care Facilities, may offer optional services such as meals, cleaning and personal laundry on a fee-for-service basis.

From time to time, other service providers may be given access to the Juniper Village and residents may elect to use, or not use, their services.

Living at Juniper enables you to be involved in as many communal and social activities as you wish. The majority of organised activities are arranged by the residents themselves and many sites have social committees welcoming new members at any time and providing social support for everyone. From special interest groups and coffee clubs to dinner dances and movie nights – there is something for everyone!

Many Juniper communities are conveniently located close to local shopping centres and medical practices can be a short drive away.

We have the Juniper Medical Centre at the Juniper Rowethorpe campus in Bentley. The Centre is open for patient consultations five days a week and is staffed by a part-time Practice Nurse and three attending GPs, who also make home visits to our onsite residential aged care facilities.

Juniper Day Therapy services are available from two metropolitan locations and include services such as Community Nursing, Podiatry, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy.

Many Juniper retirement communities are located close to public transport routes for your your convenience so you can continue to enjoy getting out and about! Certain Juniper communities, like Juniper Rowethorpe in Bentley have dedicated Taxi pick up and drop off points within the village.

We understand that your pet is an important part of your life. You will need to discuss your requirements with us before an agreement can be reached. Any such agreement will specify conditions with respect to cleanliness and hygiene, and will require that there is no interference with the rights and privacy of other residents.

Under Juniper’s lease for life arrangements there are no practical impediments to staying in independent living communities with us for as long as you like.

We recommend all residents read their Agreement and Disclosure Documents and seek legal and financial advice before making any commitments.

Everyone has different care needs. My Aged Care will determine your eligibility for residential aged care in WA. My Aged Care will organise an in-person assessment with one of their local Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) to confirm eligibility for residential care.

This assessment generates a Support Plan and a referral code for any services required.

You will also need to ensure you have completed your Income and Assets form with Centrelink/Department of Veterans Affairs to understand your financial responsibilities and include them with your application.

By providing this information about your personal circumstances and preferences, we are able to better understand and respond to your individual care needs.

Contact us on 1300 313 000 or email access@juniper.org.au to request a Residential Care Application Package (which includes an application form and information about our services and locations).

Complete the application and return to Juniper by emailing access@juniper.org.au or with the reply-paid envelope provided.

Once your application has been received, you or your loved one is placed on the waitlist and you will receive written acknowledgement of this within 3 to 5 working days.

Our waitlist operates on priority basis, based on a person’s urgency of care needs and placement requirements.

Once a suitable vacancy becomes available one of our Juniper Access team will contact you.

If you are offered a Juniper placement, we ask that the room offer is viewed within 24 hours, and admission occurs within 48-72 hours of the offer.

If you do decide to take up an offer from another provider after submitting an application with Juniper, we ask that you phone 1300 313 000 or email access@juniper.org.au to let us know. This will greatly assist us with priority management of our waitlist.

There are a range of options for paying for your residential care accommodation at Juniper.

Based on an Assets and Income Assessment, new residents may be eligible to have their accommodation costs met in full or part by the Government; or be required to pay the full accommodation price.

You can call member of our friendly Juniper Access team on 1300 313 000 or email access@juniper.org.au and confidentially discuss all options prior to admission.

Residential aged care facility costs and fees in Western Australia are assessed by Centrelink and comprise of a basic daily fee, room price and means-tested care fees, which are dependent on each person’s financial circumstances. Click here for more information.

Completing the Centrelink Financial Assets and Income Assessment form will assist with determining what portion of costs and fees you might need to pay, and what the Government may contribute towards your care and accommodation.

If you choose not to complete the Assets Assessment Form, you will be responsible for all costs and fees for your care and accommodation.

If you currently receive a means tested income support payment from Centrelink or DVA and you do not own your own home, you do not need to fill in a form.

We offer accommodation on a limited basis for married couples, but we encourage you to call us on (08) 6117 2825 to discuss your specific situation and needs.

We have a range of nursing homes and residential aged care facilities in a wide variety of locations across Perth and regional WA. Once you are on the waitlist, you can view the general areas only of the residential aged care facilities that interest you. For privacy reasons, we do not allow inspection of residents’ rooms.

If an offer of placement is made, then you are welcome and encouraged to view the room on offer, before making a decision.

You are welcome to bring some of your own personal items of furniture with you, where space allows and provided this is in line with Juniper health and safety requirements. This may include a comfy chair, TV stand and/or ornamental items.

At Juniper you will receive 24-hour person-centred care, provided by fully trained, skilled and compassionate staff. Our many residential aged care services include:

• Nursing care and complex health care
• All hotel services, including meals, laundry and cleaning
• Inclusive and personalised care planning
• Personal care
• Palliative care
• Dementia-specific care
• Spiritual and cultural wellbeing
• Lifestyle and wellness programs
• Therapy programs
• Access to external services

Palliative care is the treatment, care, and support for people living with a life-limiting illness. It can support people at different stages of an illness, from the diagnosis to the final stages of life. Palliative care is provided with the utmost empathy, respect, and compassion to help people live a fulfilling and comfortable life as possible.

Our high standard of nursing and care promotes quality of life while respecting and supporting individual choices. We talk with families to tailor our palliative care responses.

We regard end of life as a profound natural event, so we seek to positively respond by working together to:

• Affirm life and dying as a normal process
• Provide relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
• Neither to hasten or postpone death
• Combine psychological and spiritual responses to care
• Support people to live as actively as possible until death
• Help family members and friends cope during their loved one’s illness and in their own bereavement.

To contact the Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team and to make arrangements to meet with someone for a chat, please contact the Team Leader, Adrienne Inch on 9240 0377 or Adrienne.Inch@juniper.org.au.

Each resident will receive palliative care and end of life (terminal) care. This is based on a sensitive and caring professional assessment. As well as implementation and evaluation of their individual care needs, wishes and requirements.

We aim to improve the quality of life for people with life-limiting illness by reducing their suffering.

Our skilled and caring staff work to identify, assess and treat pain and other problems. This is to maximise function, improve comfort and meet social, psychological and spiritual needs.

Our inclusive, personalised approach to end of life palliative care involves family members and loved ones. We do so for people to feel secure and have access to the information and support they need.

Palliative Care is part of the care residents receive in our facilities. There are no additional costs required to receive Palliative Care within a Juniper residential care home.

You can contact My Aged Care directly to start your application. Your application starts with your telephone conversation with My Aged Care who will refer your application onto an aged care assessor who will contact you and ask you a series of questions to help determine the best level of care or assistance for you.

You can contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or Juniper on 1300 313 000 during office hours to discuss your needs.

CHSP Services are subsidised by the Australian Government and providers may ask you to make a small contribution towards your services. We’re here to assist so please contact Juniper to confidentially discuss what fees are involved.

Basic eligibility for Australian Government-funded services requires that you are a person aged 65 or more years old, or 50 years or more for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and you’re requiring assistance with daily living.

To receive care in the home you will need to apply to My Aged Care and then be assessed by a Regional Assessment Team who will determine your eligibility and advise the services you can access.

Depending on your requirements, your Juniper care advisor and care worker will work with you to manage your day-to-day with a focus on your independence and safety at home.

You may be recovering from an illness or an operation or simply need some assistance at home for a short or perhaps longer period of time. Juniper can help you achieve your goals in your own home with services such as:

• Personal care like showering and getting dressed
• Help at home including cleaning and housework
• Social activities and transport

The program also has personalised health care services such as nursing, (south east metro), physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry via one of Juniper’s two metropolitan Day Therapy Centres – or if eligible, in the comfort of your own home.

Low Care Services (Level 1 and 2) are for people who want to enjoy the independence of living in their own home, whilst still choosing the support they need with everyday activities. We offer personalised services to meet your needs and all of our staff are fully trained with police clearances.

We can meet your Low Care needs and respond to what is important to you, plus our other Low Care Services can include:

• Light Domestic Assistance for seniors
• Personal Care
• Social Support
• Doctor’s Appointments and Medicine Prompts
• Assistance with Meal Planning and Cooking

• Light domestic assistance for seniors
• Personal care
• Social support
• Doctor’s appointments and medicine prompts
• Assistance with meal planning and cooking
• Nursing care
• Domestic assistance, including help around the home, cleaning, maintenance and gardening
• Transport to appointments
• Medical prompts
• Assistance with oxygen and/or enteral feeding

Home Care Packages are government subsidised care packages. You may need to make a contribution, depending on your financial circumstances and the level of assistance you require.

Your home care Client Care Advisor can provide more information regarding fees and contributions.

Home Care Packages are designed for people over 65 who have had an ACAT Assessment. An ACAT Assessment is an individual assessment to determine the level of support and services each client may need to remain at home.

Home Care Packages are available in four levels and are designed to assist people with varying needs. This could be as simple as weekly shopping and cleaning services to more complex daily support such as personal care, nursing services and carer support to enable you or your loved one to remain at home.

Home Care Packages are assessed and assigned according to an individual’s identified needs, goals and preferences and because they are delivered under a Consumer Directed Care system, you are the one who chooses the Home Care provider that meet your individual needs.

Juniper can help you put together your Home Care Package from a wide range of home support services that have the flexibility to maintain your independence and well-being, as you continue to live your life.

CHSP is an entry-level home care program for older people, including short-term or more regular help with tasks such as showering and getting dressed, cleaning and housework, support with social outings and transport.

The program also provides personalised health care services such as nursing (south-east metro) physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry via one of Juniper’s two metropolitan Day Therapy Centres or if eligible, in the comfort of your own home.

The Commonwealth Home Support Program replaced HACC services, from 1 July 2018.

In order to be eligible for government funded home care assistance, you will be asked to meet with a specialist assessment team member who will work with you to determine your eligibility and how you are managing with your normal daily living activities. This assessment includes identifying what levels of support or care you need so you can maintain your independence at home.

There are two types of government funded home care:

• Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)
• Home Care Package

If you want to enjoy your own home but need assistance with everyday living tasks and activities, Juniper’s home and community care services can support and assist.

We can assist with domestic tasks, social activities, personal care, nursing, transport and Allied Health Services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry. Juniper’s Home Care  services are tailored to suit your needs. It’s your choice – live life your way!

Low Care Services (Level 1 and 2) are for people who want to enjoy the independence of living in their own home, whilst still choosing the support they need with everyday activities. We offer personalised services to meet your needs and all of our staff are fully trained with police clearances.

We can meet your Low Care needs and respond to what is important to you, plus our other Low Care Services can include:

• Light Domestic Assistance for seniors
• Personal Care
• Social Support
• Doctor’s Appointments and Medicine Prompts
• Assistance with Meal Planning and Cooking

• Light domestic assistance for seniors
• Personal care
• Social support
• Doctor’s appointments and medicine prompts
• Assistance with meal planning and cooking
• Nursing care
• Domestic assistance, including help around the home, cleaning, maintenance and gardening
• Transport to appointments
• Medical prompts
• Assistance with oxygen and/or enteral feeding

Home Care Packages are government subsidised care packages. You may need to make a contribution, depending on your financial circumstances and the level of assistance you require.

Your home care Client Care Advisor can provide more information regarding fees and contributions.

Home Care Packages are designed for people over 65 who have had an ACAT Assessment. An ACAT Assessment is an individual assessment to determine the level of support and services each client may need to remain at home.

Home Care Packages are available in four levels and are designed to assist people with varying needs. This could be as simple as weekly shopping and cleaning services to more complex daily support such as personal care, nursing services and carer support to enable you or your loved one to remain at home.

Home Care Packages are assessed and assigned according to an individual’s identified needs, goals and preferences and because they are delivered under a Consumer Directed Care system, you are the one who chooses the Home Care provider that meet your individual needs.

Juniper can help you put together your Home Care Package from a wide range of home support services that have the flexibility to maintain your independence and well-being, as you continue to live your life.