What is Support at Home, and how does it work for seniors?

If you or a loved one wants to stay at home as you age, you may be hearing a new term: Support at Home. With so many aged care changes starting in Australia as of this year, it can be hard to keep up.

Support at Home is Australia's new government-funded in-home aged-care program. It's designed to help older people live safely and independently at home for longer.

From 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. 

This article explains what Support at Home is, who it is for, and how it works in everyday life. We'll walk through the key features, costs, and steps to get started, so you can decide whether this new program is right for you.

Key facts about Support at Home

Support at Home is part of a major reform in Australia's aged care sector. It aims to make in-home care simpler, fairer, and easier to understand.

Here are the most important details:

• Purpose: Funded support to keep older people safe, connected, and independent at home.
• Start date: 1 November 2025.
• Replaces: Home Care Packages (HCP) and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC).
• CHSP: the Commonwealth Home Support Program will transition into Support at Home from 1 July 2027 at the earliest.
• Main types of help: Clinical services, independence supports, everyday living supports, assistive technology, home modifications, short-term restorative, and end-of-life pathways.

Who is Support at Home for?

Support at Home is for older Australians who need ongoing, regular help at home, more than just light, occasional help.

It's designed for people with low to very high care needs. This includes those who need help with daily tasks, managing health conditions, or staying safe at home. It's not just for one-off cleaning or gardening.

The Support at Home program is for:

• People aged 65 years and over
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50+
• Some people aged 50+ who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness

You must also be formally assessed and determined to need regular support. That might include help with showering, medication, mobility, or managing several health issues.

How does Support at Home work?

Support at Home follows a simple path: 

1. Contacting My Aged Care
2. Undergoing an assessment
3. Planning and budgeting
4. Choosing a provider
5. Receiving services

Start with My Aged Care

You begin by contacting My Aged Care:

• Call the My Aged Care phone line.
• Or visit the My Aged Care website and register online.

You will be asked to share information about your health, home situation, and the help you think you need. You can have a family member or friend help with this call.

Have a single, streamlined assessment

Next, you will have an in-depth assessment. This may happen at home, on the phone, or by video.

The assessor will:

• Talk with you (and your carer or family, if you wish).
• Look at your mobility, safety, memory, mood, and daily routines.
• Ask what matters most to you, such as staying active or staying socially connected.

This information will be used to decide whether you are eligible, and what level of help you need.

Get a Support at Home plan and budget

If you are eligible, you will receive:

• A Support at Home plan, which lists goals and services you can use.
• A funding level, referred to as a budget, linked to your specific care needs.

The program has eight funding levels, rather than just four levels like the old Home Care Packages. This allows support to fit more closely with your actual needs.

Choose a provider

Once you have your plan and budget, you can choose an approved provider. This might be:

• An approved Support at Home provider, like Sensible Care
• A local community organisation
• A not-for-profit aged-care provider
• A private provider of in-home care

Your provider will help organise workers, manage your budget, and arrange equipment or home changes. If you are not happy, you can change providers later.

What does Support at Home cover?

Support at Home is built around clear service categories, which include:

1. Clinical supports
2. Independence supports
3. Everyday living supports
4. Assistive technology and home modifications
5. Short-term pathways

Clinical supports (most times fully funded)

Clinical supports are health-related services. These are usually fully covered by the government, so you do not pay extra for them, as long as they are within your plan. They can include:

• Nursing, such as wound care, continence care, or monitoring long-term conditions
• Allied health, like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, and dietetics
• Clinical care coordination, where someone helps you manage complex health needs
• Clinical counselling or psychological support linked to your health

These services are there to keep you medically stable, reduce hospital visits, and support your health at home.

Independence supports

Independence supports help you with personal care and staying engaged with life. They are about what you do each day, not just your medical needs. They can include:

• Personal care, such as help with showering, dressing, grooming, and toileting
• Medication support, including reminders or help taking tablets safely
• Social and community participation, such as outings, group activities, or transport to community events
• Respite care, giving your carer a planned break

These supports are partly funded. You will usually pay a co-contribution based on your income and the specific services you use.

Everyday living supports

Everyday living supports focus on keeping your home safe, clean and manageable. They are sometimes referred to as domestic supports. They can include:

• Domestic help – cleaning, laundry, changing bed linen, unaccompanied shopping
• Meal preparation – help with cooking, meal planning, or reheating meals
• Home maintenance – minor repairs or jobs that reduce safety risks
• Gardening and yard care – mowing, weeding, and basic outdoor upkeep

These are also subsidised by the government, with you paying a portion of the cost depending on your means. For many people, this is the key part of "support at home for the elderly" because it keeps the home safe and livable.

Assistive technology and home modifications

Support at Home has a dedicated stream for Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM). This part of the program can fund:

• Assistive technology (rise-and-recline chairs, walking frames, wheelchairs, scooters, fall detectors, and home monitoring sensors)
• Home modifications (grab rails, handrails, walk-in showers, adjusted bathrooms, ramps, widened doorways, and improved lighting)

These changes aim to reduce falls, make moving around easier, and lower the pressure on family carers.

Short-term pathways

Support at Home also has short-term care pathways. These are time-limited supports for key life events. They can include:

• A Restorative Care Pathway after illness, injury, or surgery, which can provide intensive allied health and nursing for a set period (for example, up to 16 weeks).
• An End-of-Life Pathway, with clinical care, equipment, and respite to support people who choose to stay at home until the end of their life.
• Flexible short-term supports that can be put in place quickly if your needs change suddenly to help avoid hospital or residential care, where it's safe to do so.

These short-term supports sit alongside your ongoing services. They are there for times when you need a bit more, or something different, for a short while.

How much does Support at Home cost?

The cost of Support at Home depends on what services you use and your financial situation.

Clinical services (like nursing and allied health) are fully funded for people in the program.

Independence and everyday living supports are subsidised, and you pay a co-payment.

Co-payments are means-tested and vary by service category. For independence supports, contributions range from 5% to 50%. For everyday living supports, contributions can range from 17.5% to 80%, depending on your financial situation.

A major change under Support at Home is that you only pay for the services you actually receive. The old basic daily fee used in many Home Care Packages has been removed.

The exact contribution rules and fee caps may change over time. For the most up-to-date information, always check My Aged Care or official fact sheets.

How is Support at Home different from the NDIS?

Many people mix up Support at Home with the NDIS. They are two separate programs, each with its own focus and age rules.

Support at Home

• For older people, usually 65+, or 50+ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Focuses on age-related needs and staying at home
• Includes health care, personal care, and help with daily living

NDIS

• For people with a permanent and significant disability
• For people aged under 65 when they first enter the scheme
• Focuses on disability supports, such as therapies and equipment, not general aged care

An infographic that presents the

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If someone on the NDIS gets older and their needs become mainly age-related, they may choose to move from the NDIS to Support at Home.

How is Support at Home different from Home Care Packages?

Support at Home replaces the Home Care Packages Program, but many ideas will feel familiar. The big change is that the system is simpler and more flexible. 

Key differences include:

• One main program, not two or three
• More funding levels
• Clear service categories
• New contribution rules

Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care are now a part of Support at Home.

Instead of four Home Care Package levels, Support at Home uses eight levels to match budgets more closely to assessed needs.

Services are grouped into clinical, independence, everyday living, AT-HM, and short-term pathways. This makes it easier to see what you can use your funding for.

You pay co-payments based on the type of service and your means, rather than flat fees like the basic daily fee. 

There are also new rules on provider fees to improve transparency. Providers must now publish their standard prices on My Aged Care and their own websites and keep them up to date. They must also include all costs upfront with no hidden fees.

From 1 July 2026, government-set price caps will also apply, so providers cannot charge above the capped price for each service.

If you already had a Home Care Package, you do not need to reapply. You are automatically moved to Support at Home and will receive a letter explaining your new budget and contribution details. 

How Sensible Care can help

Understanding what Support at Home is and how it works can feel overwhelming. The rules are new, and many families are already juggling health issues, work, and caring.

Sensible Care can make this easier by:

• Explaining Support at Home in plain language, step by step
• Helping you prepare for your My Aged Care assessment so you feel confident and heard
• Working with you and your family to turn your goals into a clear support plan
• Coordinating services, equipment, and home modifications so you do not have to manage everything yourself
• Reviewing your plan over time, so your support changes as your needs evolve

Our focus is simple: the right support, in the right place, at the right time. You can stay in the home you love, safely and with dignity, for as long as possible.

Getting started with Support at Home and Sensible Care

Support at Home is changing how older Australians receive care at home. It brings clinical care, daily support, and home modifications into one flexible program, so you can stay safe and independent where you feel most comfortable.

If you would like to know more about Support at Home, Sensible Care is here to guide you. 

We can explain your options, help you prepare for your My Aged Care assessment, and build a support plan that fits your life. Reach out to Sensible Care today to talk about the next best step for you or your family.