Help
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about the NDIS, our services, our homes and how to get started. Can't find what you need? Call us any time on 0439 143 082.
Getting started
We're a registered NDIS provider that works only with people living with dementia and conditions that cause cognitive decline, across all of Queensland. We provide 8 services: Specialist Support Coordination, Dementia Home Care, Supported Independent Living, Medium Term Accommodation, Short Term Accommodation and Respite, Community Nursing, High Intensity and Complex Care, and Community Participation. See all our services.
No. You can call at any stage, even before an NDIS application has been made. We'll explain the NDIS access process, what evidence helps and what to expect. Our guide to the NDIS and dementia is a good place to start.
No. Many families call while they're still waiting for assessments. We'll talk through what's happening and what to do next. A diagnosis is usually needed for an NDIS application, and we can explain which reports help.
A real person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We'll listen, ask a few questions about the person and what's happening, and explain the options, including funding. If we're the right fit, we'll talk about next steps and timeframes. If we're not, we'll tell you and point you to who can help.
No. We don't charge for the first conversation, and there's no obligation.
All of Queensland, from Cairns to the Gold Coast and west to Mount Isa. Our homes are in 10 regions, and community nursing is available in Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast and Toowoomba. Find your region to see what's available near you.
NDIS and funding
Often, yes, if they're younger than 65 on the day they apply. They also need to live in Australia, be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or the holder of a Protected Special Category visa, and have a permanent impairment that substantially reduces their ability to do everyday things. The NDIA makes every decision. Our guide to the NDIS and dementia explains the evidence that helps.
We provide NDIS funded supports only, and new NDIS applications must be made before a person turns 65. People aged 65 and over who aren't NDIS participants usually get support through the aged care system. My Aged Care, on 1800 200 422, is the place to start.
People who become NDIS participants before 65 can stay in the NDIS after their birthday, and their supports continue. They can also choose to leave and move to the aged care system. Moving permanently into residential aged care for the first time after 65, or being approved for aged care services at home after 65, means leaving the NDIS. Read our turning 65 guide.
Our services are funded through the participant's NDIS plan and charged at or below NDIS price limits. There are no out of pocket gap fees for NDIS funded supports. We attend discharge meetings and case conferences at no charge, and the first conversation is free. Everyday living costs, like rent and food in a home, are paid by the person, as they would be anywhere.
Yes, all three. We're a registered NDIS provider, so we can be used with NDIA managed (agency managed) funding, which only registered providers can use, as well as with plan managed and self managed funding.
We can help with the evidence. When a person's needs change significantly, the participant, their nominee or their child representative can ask the NDIA for a plan reassessment, with evidence of what has changed. Only they can make that request. We provide structured notes and summary reports that show how needs have changed. Where Specialist Support Coordination is funded, our coordinators can help the participant or their nominee put the request together.
No. Our services are for NDIS participants and are funded through their NDIS plans. If the NDIS isn't the right pathway for your family, we'll tell you and point you to who can help.
Our services
We work only in dementia and cognitive decline. Every person on our team is dementia trained, in every role. Every support worker completes a one week intensive induction and advanced Maybo training before their first shift, and is trained on the person's own functional capacity assessment and behaviour support plan before their first shift with them. Our staff are employed by us, not sent from agencies, and a Registered Nurse provides clinical oversight.
It's unlikely. Complex situations are the work we're set up for, including people other providers have declined. The only disability related health supports we don't provide are tracheostomy and ventilator management. Call us and you'll get a straight answer on the first call.
Yes. Changed behaviours, sometimes called behaviours of concern, including exit seeking, are part of our everyday work. Our team is trained in dementia and in advanced Maybo, and we provide 2:1 support where it's needed. Regulated restrictive practices are only used where they're authorised and included in the person's behaviour support plan. Read about our high intensity and complex care.
No. Behaviour support plans are written by external behaviour support practitioners. We put those plans into practice, work closely with the practitioner from the first meeting, and send them the data they need to review and improve the plan.
We respond to every referral the same business day and contact the person and family the same business day. A dementia trained worker is matched within 4 days. A medium term home is sourced in 5 to 7 days, and a place in one of our homes takes 7 to 14 days. We confirm dates with you at the first conversation.
In Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast and Toowoomba. Our community nursing is led by a Registered Nurse. Outside these areas, our high intensity supports are still available statewide under Registered Nurse clinical oversight. Read about community nursing.
That's our aim. We build a small, consistent team around each person, so workers get to know their routines and what helps on a hard day.
Homes, MTA and respite
Our Supported Independent Living (SIL) homes are in Toowoomba, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane North, Brisbane South, Ipswich, Logan, the Gold Coast, Cairns, Townsville and Bundaberg. If the person lives somewhere else in Queensland, call us to talk about options near family. Read about our homes.
The NDIS funds the support through Supported Independent Living. Rent, food and household bills are paid by the resident, as in any home. Where someone is eligible for Specialist Disability Accommodation, that is funded separately.
Medium term accommodation (MTA) is NDIS funded housing for up to 90 days while a person's long term home is arranged. We source a medium term home in 5 to 7 days for every referral, from a hospital ward or from the community, and staff it 1:1 or 2:1 from the first night. Read about medium term accommodation.
Stays in our respite homes start at 14 days, which gives the person time to settle and the family time to properly rest. For shorter breaks, our in-home respite is usually the better fit. Read about Short Term Accommodation and Respite.
Yes. If a carer is suddenly unwell or can't continue, call 0439 143 082 at any hour and we'll talk through the options straight away, including emergency respite. If anyone is in danger, call 000 first.
Hospital discharge
Yes. Our Hospital to Home pathway takes people from the ward to a medium term home or one of our homes, with one provider and one named contact the whole way. Medium term accommodation can be funded by the NDIS for people leaving hospital who are eligible for supports such as SIL or home modifications. Our guide to leaving hospital explains the process.
Yes, at no charge, on the ward or by video. We work closely with social workers, occupational therapists, discharge planners and the NDIA's hospital team.
Yes. If the NDIA is still working through access or the plan, we start in parallel: meeting the person, scoping accommodation and preparing a support model, so we're ready to begin the day the plan is approved.
Yes. We send a written progress update to the treating team and the support coordinator every week during medium term accommodation, and the family has one named contact from referral to permanent home.
Huntington's disease and brain injury
Yes. Huntington's disease is one of our specialties. We support people at home, in our homes and in the community, including needs such as swallowing, nutrition and seizure management, with high intensity supports overseen by a Registered Nurse. Read about Huntington's disease support.
Yes. Our homes are set up for Huntington's disease, with falls aware layouts, stable seating and mealtime support set up around each person, and teams trained in its movement, swallowing, cognitive and behavioural needs.
Yes. We support people living with acquired brain injury, including people whose injury affects memory, thinking and behaviour. Read about acquired brain injury support.
Yes. We support people living with Korsakoff syndrome and alcohol related brain damage, including people with complex needs and co-occurring psychosocial disability. Read about Korsakoff syndrome support.
For support coordinators and hospital teams
Yes. If the participant has a support coordinator, they stay the coordinator. We deliver the supports they refer, keep them informed and give them the evidence they need for reviews. Read more for support coordinators.
Call 0439 143 082 any time, or use the online referral form. We respond to every referral the same business day.
Whatever you have: the NDIS number or the status of the access request, the current NDIS plan, the discharge summary or medical clearance, OT, behaviour support and nursing reports, and the decision maker, guardian or EPOA details. Missing something? Send what you have. We'll chase the rest.
Regular updates, structured shift notes written against the participant's goals and daily functioning, and summary reports for plan reviews and reassessments. During medium term accommodation, a written update every week.
No. We attend discharge meetings, case conferences and MDTs at no charge.
Feedback, privacy and working with us
Use the form on our feedback and complaints page, call 0439 143 082 or email anish@dementiacareqld.com.au. You can stay anonymous. If you're not satisfied with how we handle it, or you'd rather not raise it with us, you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544 or at ndiscommission.gov.au.
No. Raising a concern will never affect the support you or your family member receives. Complaints help us improve, and we take every one seriously.
We handle personal and health information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles and the NDIS Practice Standards. We only share information with consent or where the law requires or allows it, and we never sell personal information. Read our privacy policy.
Yes. Dementia Care Queensland is a trading name of Vitalcore Support Services Pty Ltd, a registered NDIS provider (provider number 450249132).
We hire disability support workers and specialist support coordinators across Queensland, with specialist training from day one. See our current roles on our careers page.
Still have a question?
Call any time, day or night, or send an enquiry and we'll call you back the same business day.