The opening lines of this book sum up the problems faced by family members and carers when they receive (or make) the dreaded, but long expected phone call.

“Mum’s had a fall; she has broken her hip and is now in hospital. The doctor says she will probably need permanent care – what do we do now and can we find the money?”

As a financial adviser, this is a problem Val Nigol is increasingly being faced with – what are the options for these people, how much will it cost and how are they going to pay for it?

Within the next five years the number of people with severe or profound health restrictions or disabilities will grow by 40%. This equates to another 200,000 people who will need either full-time, or part-time care.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics predicts that within 25 years the number of Australians over 65 will grow to over 20% of the community, or more than 5.5 million people. Most of these, at one time or other, will need some sort of aged care.

In trying to help his clients Val Nigol found there was little in print which covered this growing issue. What was available was generic, or only covered a few specific areas. It was no good him giving financial advice if he did not have a detailed and accurate knowledge of what was on offer. This meant he had to learn about the broader aspects of the industry.

“There is a lot of information on the internet, but it’s fragmented and not always easy to understand, especially for the uninitiated. Also, we’ve found that for many of the older generation, the use of a computer is something they generally know little about,” says Nigol.