Aged Care Assessment Team
Also written as: ACAT — Aged Care Assessment Team
A government-funded multidisciplinary team that assesses older people's eligibility for, and appropriate level of, formal aged care services in Australia.
Full Definition
The Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) is a specifically Australian regulatory and clinical body whose assessments gate-keep entry into Commonwealth-funded residential and community aged care services. An ACAT assessment is commonly triggered during a geriatric rehabilitation admission when the team determines that a patient cannot safely return home without significant support, or at all. Reports generated by ACAT are formal documents with legal standing under the Aged Care Act 1997. Editors working on Australian aged care or geriatric rehabilitation documents must distinguish ACAT from ACAS (Aged Care Assessment Service, used in Victoria) and from general MDT assessments. The term should always be rendered in full on first use with the acronym in parentheses.
Usage
Usage note: Specific to Australia. Do not use this acronym in documents for non-Australian audiences without explanation. Distinguish ACAT from ACAS, the Victorian equivalent.
In Context
- "An ACAT assessment was requested prior to discharge to determine the patient's eligibility for residential aged care placement." — Geriatric rehabilitation discharge summary
- "The Aged Care Assessment Team completed their review and approved the patient for a high-care residential placement." — Social work progress note