Preparing for an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment can feel daunting, but proper preparation significantly improves your chances of receiving an accurate assessment and the right level of support. This comprehensive guide provides a practical checklist, common questions you will face, documents you need, and insider tips for achieving the best possible outcome.

An ACAT assessment determines your eligibility for government-funded aged care services including home care packages, residential aged care, and respite care. The quality of your assessment directly impacts the level of support you receive, so preparation matters.

For background on what ACAT assessments are and the support levels available, see our complete guide to ACAT assessment levels.

Key Points

  • Bring your Medicare card and one other form of ID (driver license, passport, healthcare card, or DVA card)
  • Prepare a list of current medications and recent medical reports or specialist letters
  • Be honest about your worst days, not just your best days, when describing your daily challenges
  • Have a family member or trusted friend present who can provide additional context
  • Write down specific examples of tasks you struggle with before the assessment
  • The assessment typically takes 45 to 90 minutes and is conducted at your home or hospital

Essential Documents Checklist

Identification (Mandatory)

You must have these documents for your ACAT assessment:

  • Medicare card (primary identification)
  • One additional form of ID: driver license, passport, DVA card, or healthcare card

Without these documents, the assessment cannot proceed. Keep them together in one place before the assessment date.

While not mandatory, having the following documents significantly improves the accuracy of your assessment:

  • Current medication list: Include all prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and supplements with dosages and frequency
  • Recent medical reports: Hospital discharge summaries, specialist letters, diagnostic test results from the past 12 months
  • GP contact details: Name, clinic address, and phone number
  • Specialist contact details: Neurologists, cardiologists, geriatricians, or other specialists you see regularly
  • Allied health reports: Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or psychology assessments if you have them

If you have recently been hospitalised or had significant changes in your health, bring those reports. The assessor needs to understand your current functional capacity, not just your medical diagnoses.

Care and Support Documentation

If applicable, bring:

  • Current care plan: If you already receive support from a provider
  • Carer statements: Written observations from family members who provide unpaid care
  • Incident reports: Falls, hospital admissions, or other events that demonstrate care needs
  • Previous assessments: Older ACAT assessments, if you are being reassessed

Questions You Will Be Asked

The ACAT assessment is structured as a conversation, not a formal interrogation. However, knowing the areas the assessor will cover helps you prepare thoughtful answers.

Daily Living Activities

The assessor will ask about your ability to manage everyday tasks:

  • Personal care: Bathing, showering, dressing, grooming, toileting
  • Mobility: Walking around your home, getting in and out of bed, transferring to chairs
  • Meal preparation: Shopping, cooking, eating, managing nutrition
  • Housework: Cleaning, laundry, tidying
  • Home maintenance: Gardening, minor repairs, managing bills

For each task, be specific about your level of difficulty. Instead of saying “I can manage”, describe exactly what you struggle with. For example: “I can cook simple meals but I cannot stand for long periods, so I avoid cooking most days and eat toast or microwaved meals instead.”

Health and Medical Conditions

Expect questions about:

  • Chronic conditions: Arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory conditions
  • Cognitive function: Memory problems, confusion, decision-making difficulties
  • Pain levels: Where you experience pain, how it affects daily life
  • Medication management: Whether you can remember and take medications correctly
  • Falls and balance: Frequency of falls, near-misses, use of walking aids

Be honest about cognitive issues. Many people downplay memory problems out of embarrassment or fear. The assessor is not there to judge, but to determine what support you need.

Social and Emotional Wellbeing

The assessor will ask about:

  • Social connections: Family support, friendships, community involvement
  • Emotional health: Depression, anxiety, loneliness, grief
  • Activities you enjoy: Hobbies, interests, outings you would like to do but cannot manage alone
  • Safety concerns: Whether you feel safe at home, risk of elder abuse or neglect

Social isolation and depression are legitimate care needs. If you spend most days alone or have stopped doing activities you once enjoyed, say so.

Current Support Arrangements

Be prepared to discuss:

  • Who helps you now: Family, friends, neighbours, paid carers
  • What they help with: Specific tasks and how often
  • Gaps in support: What you need help with but are not currently receiving
  • Carer burnout: If family members are struggling to cope

Do not overstate the support you receive from family. If your daughter says she helps you weekly but actually only visits once a month, the assessor needs to know the reality.

Future Care Preferences

The assessor may ask:

  • Where you want to live: Preference for staying at home versus moving to residential care
  • Care goals: What is most important to you (independence, safety, social connection)
  • Cultural or religious needs: Any specific requirements for your care

Being clear about your preferences helps the assessor recommend appropriate services.

How to Prepare: Step-by-Step

1. Keep a Daily Care Diary (One Week Before)

For seven days before your assessment, write down:

  • Tasks you could not do without help
  • Tasks you attempted but struggled with
  • Falls, near-falls, or safety incidents
  • Times you felt confused or forgot important things
  • Pain levels and how they affected activities

This diary provides concrete examples for the assessment. Instead of vague statements like “I have trouble getting around”, you can say “On Tuesday I tried to vacuum but had to stop after five minutes due to back pain. On Thursday I nearly fell getting out of the shower.”

2. Prepare a Health Summary

Write a one-page summary including:

  • Medical conditions: Listed in order of severity
  • Recent changes: Hospitalisations, new diagnoses, functional decline
  • Current medications: Names and dosages (or bring the bottles)
  • Support gaps: What you need but do not have

This summary keeps you focused during the assessment and ensures you do not forget important details.

3. Invite a Support Person

Choose someone who:

  • Knows your daily routine and struggles
  • Can provide honest observations (even if difficult to hear)
  • Will speak up if you downplay your needs

Family members often notice challenges you have become accustomed to and may not mention yourself.

4. Prepare Your Environment

If the assessment is at your home:

  • Do not tidy excessively before the assessor arrives. They need to see your actual living conditions.
  • Leave mobility aids, medication organizers, and safety equipment visible
  • Do not hide grab rails, shower chairs, or other adaptive equipment

The assessor is not judging your housekeeping. They need to see the reality of your daily life.

5. List Your Questions

Write down questions to ask the assessor, such as:

  • What level of support am I likely to be approved for?
  • How long until I receive my assessment letter?
  • What services can I access with my approval?
  • Can I choose my own provider?
  • What happens if my needs change?

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Understating Your Needs

Many people instinctively minimise their struggles, especially in front of strangers. This is the single biggest mistake that leads to inadequate support levels.

If you “can manage” a task but it exhausts you, causes pain, or takes twice as long as it used to, that is a care need. Describe your bad days, not just your good days.

2. Focusing Only on Physical Health

Cognitive decline, social isolation, and mental health are equally valid care needs. Do not skip over:

  • Memory problems and confusion
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Loneliness and lack of social connection
  • Difficulty making decisions or managing finances

These issues often determine whether someone can safely live independently.

3. Over-Relying on Family Support

If your daughter helps you shower three times a week but this is unsustainable for her long-term, the assessor needs to know. Family burnout is a real issue, and paid support may be needed to prevent carer breakdown.

Do not say “my family helps with everything” if the reality is one exhausted relative doing far more than they can sustain.

4. Not Providing Specific Examples

Vague statements like “I have trouble walking” are less effective than specific examples: “I cannot walk to the letterbox without stopping twice to rest. Last week I fell on the way back from the bathroom.”

The assessor needs measurable functional limitations, not just general complaints.

5. Forgetting to Mention Recent Changes

A recent hospitalisation, new diagnosis, or sudden decline in function is critical information. Even if you feel better now, recent events indicate increased care needs and risk.

After the Assessment: What to Expect

Assessment Letter

You will receive a written assessment letter within 7 to 14 days. This letter outlines:

  • Your eligibility for aged care services
  • The recommended support level (for home care packages, this was Level 1 to 4; under the new Support at Home Program from November 2025, this is now classification levels 1 to 8)
  • The types of services you can access
  • Your referral code for accessing services

For details on the new classification system, see our guide to Support at Home classification levels 1-3 and levels 4-6.

Waitlists and Accessing Services

Once you have your assessment, you can:

  • Register with home care providers
  • Access respite care
  • Join the queue for residential aged care (if approved)

For high-priority cases (such as recent hospital discharge), services may start within days. For lower-priority cases, waitlists can be several months. The new Support at Home Program aims to reduce these waitlists significantly.

Reassessment

If your needs change, you can request a reassessment at any time by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. Common triggers for reassessment include:

  • Significant health decline
  • New diagnosis (such as dementia)
  • Increased falls risk
  • Family carer no longer available
  • Transition from home care to residential care

Tips for a Better Outcome

1. Be Honest About Bad Days

The assessor needs to know about your worst days, not your average days. If you have dementia and experience sundowning, describe those episodes. If you have arthritis and some mornings cannot get out of bed, say so.

2. Mention Risks and Near-Misses

Near-falls, forgetting to turn off the stove, getting lost while driving, or difficulty managing medications are all safety risks that justify higher support levels.

3. Describe Impact on Quality of Life

It is not just about what you cannot do, but about what you have stopped doing. If you no longer see friends, go to church, or pursue hobbies because you cannot manage transport or need assistance, that is a significant loss of independence.

4. Bring Evidence

Medical letters, hospital discharge summaries, and allied health reports carry weight. If your GP has written a letter describing your functional decline, bring it.

5. Ask for Clarification

If you do not understand a question, ask the assessor to rephrase it. If you feel the assessor has misunderstood your situation, speak up and provide further examples.

Frequently Asked Questions

What documents do I need for an ACAT assessment?

You need your Medicare card and one other form of ID (driver license, passport, healthcare card, or DVA card). It is also helpful to bring a list of current medications, recent medical reports, and contact details for your GP and specialists.

How long does an ACAT assessment take?

Most ACAT assessments take 45 to 90 minutes. The assessor will spend time discussing your daily activities, health conditions, mobility, medication management, and support needs in a conversational format.

Can a family member attend the ACAT assessment with me?

Yes, you can have a trusted family member, friend, or advocate present during your ACAT assessment. This is encouraged, especially if you find it difficult to recall details or feel overwhelmed by questions.

What questions will the ACAT assessor ask?

The assessor will ask about your daily living activities (bathing, dressing, meals), mobility and falls risk, medication management, cognitive function, social connections, and current support arrangements. They may also ask about your living situation and future care preferences.

How can I get a better outcome from my ACAT assessment?

Be honest about your struggles and bad days, not just good days. Provide specific examples of tasks you find difficult. Have a support person present who can describe what they observe. Bring documentation of medical conditions and recent changes in your health or function.

What happens after the ACAT assessment?

After the assessment, you will receive a written recommendation letter outlining your eligibility for aged care services. This may include approval for home care packages, respite care, or residential aged care. The letter is typically sent within 7 to 14 days.

How do I prepare if I have dementia or cognitive issues?

Have a family member or carer present who knows your daily routine and challenges. Prepare a written summary of changes in memory, behaviour, or function. Bring recent medical reports or assessments that document cognitive decline. The assessor is trained to work with people with dementia.

Can I request a re-assessment if my needs change?

Yes. If your health or care needs change significantly after your initial assessment, you can contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to request a reassessment. This is common when someone transitions from home care to residential care.

Key Resources

Ready for Your Assessment?

Proper preparation for your ACAT assessment ensures you receive the right level of support for your care needs. By gathering the required documents, preparing specific examples of your daily challenges, and having a trusted support person present, you can approach your assessment with confidence.

If you are unsure about what services you may be eligible for, our guide to home care package eligibility explains the criteria and support levels in detail.

Need help navigating the aged care system? Connect with Carevo to find providers who can guide you through the assessment process and help you access the support you need.