Aged Care Services - Specialist Dementia Care Program

Objectives:

• Provide specialized, transitional residential support to people with severe dementia symptoms.
• Focus on reducing or stabilizing symptoms over time.
• Enable individuals to move to less intensive care settings eventually.
• Establish 35 SDCP units across all 31 Primary Health Network (PHN) regions in Australia.

Target Beneficiaries:

• People exhibiting very severe behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.
• Those unable to be appropriately cared for by mainstream aged care services.

Program Status:

• 10 SDCP units have been established nationally across 9 PHN regions in Phase One.
• Phase Two aims to establish the remaining units through targeted competitive and non-competitive grant opportunities.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be approved aged care providers.
• For targeted competitive grants, all eligible organizations within designated PHN regions may apply.
• For closed non-competitive grants, only invited organizations may apply.

Funding:

• Total available funding is AUD 5,500,000.
• Grant values range from AUD 0 to AUD 5,500,000.

Application Process:

• Applications are submitted via email to Grant.ATM@health.gov.au with the subject line specifying the program and organization name.
• Applications must be in .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, or .pdf format, not exceeding 20MB.
• Closing dates are specified in invitations or newsletters from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
• The program uses both targeted competitive and closed non-competitive approaches for awarding grants.

Key Features:

• Focus on specialized dementia care beyond mainstream aged care.
• Transitional support aimed at symptom management and care level adjustment.
• Nationwide coverage through PHN regions.
• Government-funded with structured grant application and selection processes.

This program is managed by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and aims to improve care quality and outcomes for people with severe dementia symptoms across Australia. The next application closing dates are in October 2025. Contact for inquiries is the Health Grants Team via Grant.ATM@health.gov.au.