Planning for Memory Care & Residential Care Subsidy

I first came across Dr Helena Popovic when she spoke at my local Rotary Club's meeting.  She discussed the connection between diet, lifestyle, and brain health which I found fascinating as I have a keen interest in these areas myself. Her approach was practical and hopeful, which encouraged me to start following her work more closely. Since then, I’ve been receiving her regular newsletters, and her latest piece on Reminiscence Therapy (RT) caught my attention — particularly her points about simple one-on-one memory prompts at home, and the value of creating a life-story book.

Both ideas feel relevant to the types of families I have been working with recently, particularly when a loved one’s care needs are changing and decisions about memory care or hospital-level care are suddenly on the table.

For many, the shift happens sooner than expected. Care at home becomes harder to manage. Safety concerns grow. And the partner or adult child providing support is often trying to balance their own wellbeing with the increasing needs of the person they love. Clients often tell me they feel torn — wanting to keep their spouse or parent at home for as long as possible, while recognising they can no longer meet those needs safely.

It’s an incredibly difficult moment, and there’s no easy way through it.

What Dr Popovic’s work highlights

Her writing reinforces something families instinctively know but can lose sight of during periods of decline: long-term memory often remains accessible even as short-term memory fades. Music, photos, old recipes, familiar objects, and personal stories can bring comfort, spark recognition, and create small moments of connection.

Her point about life-story books struck me in particular. For families navigating reduced capacity, dementia, or memory care, having a written or visual scrapbook of someone’s history isn’t just sentimental — it becomes a useful tool. It helps caregivers understand the person beyond their symptoms and provides attorneys and decision-makers insight into the individual’s identity, preferences, and long-standing values.

Where families feel the pressure

Alongside the emotional strain, there’s the practical reality of activating Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs), reviewing trust documents, (updating) the retirement village's paperwork, considering Residential Care Subsidy eligibility, and ensuring the right people have authority to act. These steps often arrive all at once — right when energy and time are in short supply.

Common stress points include:

• EPAs that no longer meet current requirements.

• Trust deeds that need clarification before decisions can be made.

• Banks or villages requiring formal confirmation of authority.

• Delays accessing money needed for care.

• Questions about how assets, gifting, or trust structures may affect future Residential Care Subsidy assessments.

• The partner at home trying to manage their own health while making urgent decisions.

It’s a lot for anyone to carry.

When planning is up to date, the transition is gentler

Good planning won’t remove the emotion, but it does reduce the weight of the practical side. When EPAs, trust arrangements, Wills, Advance Care Plans, and Occupation Right Agreement documents are current and clear, families can move through the transition with fewer barriers.

It also creates space for the things that genuinely help someone settle into memory care — connection, familiarity, and time together in ways that feel meaningful. These small moments matter, and they’re easier to create when the legal side isn’t consuming all the attention.

If you haven’t already, you may find my article on Advance Care Plans helpful. It explains how documenting treatment preferences early can guide care teams and reduce uncertainty for families when health changes suddenly.

Thinking ahead to the Residential Care Subsidy

Whether memory care is needed now or may be needed in the future, it’s also worth understanding how the Residential Care Subsidy works — particularly how trusts, gifting, jointly-owned assets, and the family home can affect eligibility. Many families don’t realise how early planning influences the outcome, and how small decisions made years ago can make a big difference later.

This is an area where legal advice can provide real clarity. It helps families avoid surprises, plan ahead, and make decisions with a longer horizon in mind.

For families preparing for this chapter

If your loved one’s care needs are changing or if you’re beginning to see signs that more support may be required soon, this is a good time to make sure everything is aligned — your EPAs, trust documents, ACP, and any considerations around the Residential Care Subsidy.

The most common reflection I hear is: “We didn’t realise how much we needed everything to be in order until we were right in the middle of it.”

There is a lot to deal with — emotionally and practically. My role is to help ease the legal burden so you can focus on what matters most: supporting your loved one and finding your footing during a chapter no one ever feels fully ready for.

If your loved one’s needs are changing and you’re unsure whether your documents are ready for what’s ahead, we can work through everything with you, together. EPAs, trusts, ACPs, retirement village paperwork, Residential Care Subsidy considerations — all of it.  A conversation now can help ease the challenges that may arise in future.