Support at Home is designed to enable a greater number of Australian seniors to stay in their homes longer, rather than moving into residential aged care facilities. This article specifies the home care services that Support at Home will cover.
What Support at Home will cover
Support at Home divides care services into three main categories.
Clinical care
The government will fully fund clinical care costs for all individuals receiving Support at Home. Clinical care services include:
Nursing care
- Changing wound dressings and managing pressure sores
- Catheter and stoma care and management
- Medication management
- Monitoring blood pressure, pain levels, and comfort levels
- Managing chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, including administering injections
Allied health services
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Podiatry
- Speech Pathology
- Psychological and mental health support
Continence support
- Continence assessments and care plans
- Referrals, education, and training for caregivers
- Sourcing pads, urinals, and commodes.
- You may also be eligible for the Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS)
Nutrition
- Nutritional assessments and meal planning
- Management of tube feeding
- You may also be eligible for the Enteral Feeding Supplement.
- Catheter and stoma care and management
- Medication management
- Monitoring blood pressure, pain levels and comfort levels
- Managing chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, including giving injections
Independence Support
The extent of your ‘out of pocket’ contribution for independence support will depend on the specific services you receive, along with your income and assets.
- A full pensioner is required to pay 5%
- A part pensioner will pay between 5% and 50%
- A self-funded retiree will incur a cost of 50%
Independence support services include:
Personal Care
- Assistance with showering, dressing, grooming, and dental hygiene
- Help with toileting
- Support for getting in and out of bed, chairs, and wheelchairs.
- Assistance with eating and drinking
Social Support
- Help in locating and joining local clubs, groups, and social events
- Participation in group outings, classes, bus trips, and church gatherings.
- One-on-one companionship and welfare checks
- Assistance with technology to maintain connections.
Short-term Respite Care
- In-home
- Community-based
- Emergency or unplanned
- Overnight
Transport
- Car and driver
- Taxi vouchers
- Rideshare service (Uber) vouchers
Everyday living
How much you are required to contribute ‘out of pocket’ for everyday living support will be contingent upon the services you receive, in addition to your assets and income.
- A full pensioner will incur a cost of 17.5%
- A part pensioner will incur a cost ranging from 17.5% to 80%
- A self-funded retiree will incur a cost of 80%
Everyday living support encompasses:
Domestic assistance
- Cleaning the bathroom and kitchen
- Mopping, vacuuming, and dusting
- Washing dishes
- Laundry and ironing
- Making the bed
- Running errands
- Decluttering and organizing the home.
Home maintenance and repairs
- Light gardening and lawn mowing.
- Gutter cleaning
- Leak repairs
- Changing light bulbs
- Minor repairs, such as replacing a doorknob or fixing loose floorboards.
Meals and shopping
- Grocery shopping
- Meal preparation
- Meal delivery services like Lite & Easy
Assistive Technology
If an assistive technology device, equipment, or product can meet a documented need specified in your care plan, you may have the opportunity to access funding of up to $15,000 for assistive technology without needing to save your budget.
Assistive technology may include:
- Mobility scooters, wheelchairs, and walking aids
- Shoehorns, zipper pullers, and positioning pillows
- Braces, splints, and anti-oedema stockings
- Non-slip bathmats and shower chairs
- Bedpans, commodes, and toilet paper grips
- Accessories for vehicles
- Hoists, lifting devices, harnesses, and slide sheets
- Modified eating and drinking utensils
- Mattress covers, bed rails, and blanket supports
Additionally, assistive technology can also encompass digital tools, such as reminder applications or smart home devices, when they directly support care objectives.
Home Modifications
Support at Home can provide funding for home modifications aimed at enhancing the safety and accessibility of your residence, provided that these modifications are aligned with a need specified in your care plan. You are able to utilize funds for home modifications without the necessity of accumulating your budget.
Home modifications may encompass:
- Ramps and stair lifts
- Handrails
- Accessible toilets, showers, and wash basins
- Safety barriers, non-slip floor coverings
- Door openers and closers
- Modified lighting and remote controls
Read more: Assistive technology and home modifications list
Restorative Care Pathway
This program, lasting 16 weeks, can offer around $6000 in additional home care services to assist you in recovering from an injury or illness, thereby helping you to maintain or regain your independence.
End-of-Life Pathway
This 12-week initiative will provide funding of up to $25,000 in extra home care services for those who wish to remain in their homes with family as they approach the end of their lives.
This extra funding will aid individuals who are evaluated as having three months or less to live, with services provided by their usual care provider.
Read more: Support at Home End-of-Life Pathway
Support Services Connect Australia assists tens of thousands of Australian families to navigate home care and make the most of their entitlements.
What will Support at Home cost?
The government will fund 100% of your clinical care costs, and a percentage of the cost of everyday living supports and services that help you maintain your independence at home.
A lifetime limit of $130,000 signifies that your total contribution towards non-clinical services will not exceed $130,000, whether these services are delivered in your home or at a residential aged care facility.
How to apply
- To be eligible for Support at Home, you must fulfill the following conditions:
- be 65 years of age or older (or 50 years or older for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)
- be living at home (not in a residential aged care setting)
- be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident
- be assessed by My Aged Care as someone in need of home care services.
You can quickly check if you’re eligible using My Aged Care’s online eligibility checker.
To organise an assessment, you can either call My Aged Care at 1800 200 422 or apply online using this link: Apply for an aged care assessment | My Aged Care. Moreover, a medical doctor or another health professional has the ability to refer you to My Aged Care for an assessment.
Read more: How to apply for an assessment | My Aged Care
How to find providers
Support Services Connect Australia can assist you in discovering and evaluating home care providers, with reduced stress, less effort, and at NO expense to you.
We frequently share the most current home care news and information with our families. We can help you grasp exactly how home care is transforming and how these changes will impact you.
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