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In-home aged care services support nearly a million senior Australians. Research indicates that many seniors prefer to stay at home for as long as possible before moving to a residential aged care facility.
Improving home support can prevent seniors from moving into residential aged care prematurely or against their wishes. With better support, some might never need to enter residential aged care at all.
Seniors would manage risks associated with staying at home, and the assessment process would ensure that those needing to relocate to residential aged care can do so appropriately.
Latest Updates on the Support at Home Program
As of 29th December 2024, the Australian Government has announced the following updates to the Support at Home program:
1. Delayed Implementation of Price Caps
The introduction of government-set price caps for in-home aged care services, originally set to take effect on 1 July 2025, has been postponed to 1 July 2026.
Until this date, providers (like us at My Companionship) will retain the ability to set their own prices for non-clinical services under the Support at Home program.
This ensures that you will continue to receive personalized care options tailored to your unique needs without the immediate impact of standardized price caps.
2. Government Coverage for Clinical Services
The Government has committed to covering 100% of clinical care services under the program. This includes services like wound care, nursing, and other essential health-related care.
3. Participant Contributions for Non-Clinical Services
Older Australians accessing the Support at Home program will contribute towards the cost of non-clinical support services, such as:
Showering and personal care: Assisting with daily hygiene tasks.
Gardening and home maintenance: Ensuring a safe and comfortable living environment.
Meal preparation: Supporting nutritional needs for healthy living.
What This Means for You
At My Companionship, we are committed to staying up to date with these changes and ensuring that you continue to have access to high-quality and affordable care services. We will maintain transparent communication with all our clients as we adjust to the evolving requirements of the Support at Home program.
For now, you can rest assured that your care plans will remain flexible and fully tailored to your preferences.
Want More Details?
Read the official Support at Home Fact Sheet released by the Australian Government.
Learn how these updates may affect your current or future care arrangements in our blog: Upcoming Changes to In-Home Aged Care: What You Need to Know.
Currently, in-home aged care comprises various programs with different approaches to assessment, eligibility, service providers, funding, and fees. This can result in inequitable outcomes, with seniors receiving different levels of support for similar needs, and insufficient funding being allocated to direct care.
Consequently, the system is complex and confusing for seniors and their families.
The Home Care Packages (HCP) Program has faced long wait times, high overhead costs from some providers, and high levels of unspent funds. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) has varying service availability depending on the location.
In response to the Royal Commission, the Australian Government committed to creating a new Support at Home Program, developed in consultation with seniors and community stakeholders. This program aims to implement several recommendations from the Royal Commission, enhancing support for seniors to remain independent and at home for longer.
How Would the Proposed Support at Home Program Improve Services?
The new Support at Home Program would reform in-home aged care delivery, including assessment, reablement and restorative care, individualised support plans, service inclusion clarity, provider funding, and market regulation. Seniors would receive service approvals based on their assessed needs and circumstances, rather than being placed into one of the four broad home care package levels.
Seniors would access goods, equipment, assistive technologies, and home modifications needed for safe and independent living without needing to save up package funds. A new funding model would support point-of-delivery payments for service providers, reducing their reporting burden and enhancing transparency for seniors while lowering fees and administrative costs.
Seniors would have greater choice among providers for their care. A risk-proportionate regulation model would support care businesses and workers in delivering safe and high-quality aged care services at home.
Consistent Assessment and Better Service Recommendations
Currently, aged care assessments are conducted by Regional Assessment Services (RAS) and Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) using the National Screening and Assessment Form (NSAF). A new Integrated Assessment Tool, to be introduced in July 2023, would better match services to a person’s aged care needs. It would assess eligibility for all aged care programs, covering various domains like general health, functional decline, cognition, behaviour, psychological condition, community engagement, medical conditions, home and personal safety, and carer support.
The tool will have four levels of assessment, using trigger points to guide assessors to the appropriate level for each person. It will identify the best care setting for seniors and provide funding approval as part of the assessment outcome.
Individualised Assessment Outcomes
After assessment, seniors would receive an Individualised Support Plan, outlining their eligible service types, frequency, and duration. The plan would be adjusted in collaboration with the senior and assessor to reflect their support needs, circumstances, and preferences within their assessed class.
Example:
A Service List for Clarity and Efficiency
The new program would include a Service List, providing clarity on available services and costs, subsidised by the Commonwealth Government. Providers may offer additional, non-subsidised services at the senior’s own cost.
Services would be grouped into categories, allowing seniors to swap approved services within the same category, and enabling providers to adjust support plans as needs change.
Subsidies Set by Service Type
Under a fee-for-service funding model, a price schedule developed by the Government, with support from the Independent Hospital and Aged Care Pricing Authority, would set service prices. This schedule would include the government subsidy reflecting the cost of service delivery, including administrative overheads.
Care Management
Care management would be included as a service type for seniors with complex needs requiring oversight and coordination. Funding for care management would be restricted and not interchangeable with other services. The department will consult with stakeholders to define care managers' roles, accountability, client information sharing, engagement with other actors, and regulatory representation.
Access to Goods, Equipment, Assistive Technologies, and Home Modifications
The new program would ensure seniors have access to essential supports like handrails, home monitoring devices, and shower chairs without needing to save funds. The assessment process would consider needs for goods, equipment, and home modifications, with co-design activities continuing to refine this approach.
Supporting Self-Management of Care
The new regulatory model would allow seniors to self-manage their care, including using multiple service providers. An ICT payments platform would enable seniors and providers to view entitlements, book, and pay for services at the point of delivery.
Consistent Funding Arrangements
Support at Home would bring all in-home aged care providers under one funding model, moving to a fee-for-service basis. Payments would be based on agreed prices for services delivered, with no accrual of unspent funds.
Supporting Providers in Thin Markets
To ensure service availability for all seniors, a grant program would support providers in regional, rural, and remote areas, or those serving small cohorts with unique needs.
Better Support for All Seniors, Including Specific Cohorts
The program would integrate short-term reablement services, support seniors with dementia and their carers, and provide a new national support service for senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, offering intensive face-to-face support and guidance for providers on cultural safety.
Additional Resources about ‘Support at Home’
Fact Sheet on Support at Home: This fact sheet offers a concise overview of the Support at Home program starting on 1 July 2025, including participant contributions: Support at Home Fact Sheet.
Government Resources and Webinars: Explore general information about the Support at Home program, details on upcoming webinars, and more: Support at Home Program Overview.
Our Guide to Upcoming Changes: For a detailed explanation of the upcoming changes to in-home aged care and how they may impact you, visit our blog: Upcoming Changes to In-Home Aged Care: What You Need to Know.
Real Stories from Our Clients
The upcoming Support at Home program is designed to provide tailored and accessible care services to older Australians.
At My Companionship, we understand how crucial compassionate and professional support is to improve the quality of life for our clients. But don’t just take our word for it—here’s what our clients have to say:
“I have found the staff of MC to be kind, courteous, and always willing to help wherever and whenever they can. I always feel so much better when they are around and look forward to my Companionship days.”– Beryl Howard
“My Companionship has provided me with my best experience far in aged care. The support workers have changed my life. They even help me take care of my dogs!”– J.L. Smith
Our team is dedicated to offering the care and support you need to live independently and confidently. With the introduction of the Support at Home program, we are excited to continue delivering these personalized services under the new framework.
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