What is a Home Care Package?

A Home Care Package is a pool of funding provided by the federal government. It is designed to help older Australians to remain safely at home without having to do everything themselves or rely heavily on their family members and friends.

Download our handy Guide to Home Care!

Am I eligible for a Home Care Package?

Anyone who is over 65 years of age, an Australian resident, and requires some help in order to stay safely home can apply for a Home Care Package.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are eligible for Home Care Packages from the age of 50.

How do I apply for a Home Care Package?

To apply for a Home Care Package, you will need to register and create an account with My Aged Care, the government body for all Aged Care services in Australia.

You can register online via the My Aged Care website, or you can call them and register over the phone.

During the registration process, you will be asked several questions about yourself – and you will need your Medicare Card on hand. You can have help from someone and they can speak on your behalf if you aren’t capable or have language barriers, but you will need to be present to give your verbal consent.

After the registration process, if you are found to be eligible, an ACAT assessment will be arranged for you. This assessment is to determine the level of care you require, as well as any other services, like respite care.

The ACAT assessment generally occurs within 2-3 weeks of registering.

What is the Home Care Package assessment?

Once you’ve registered with My Aged Care, you will be assessed by one of the government’s ACAT team members. This will most likely be an assessment in your own home (pending any COVID restrictions) where the assessor will ask you a range of questions about your current state of health, your day to day activities and any of the things you are having difficulty with.

How much will a Home Care Package give me?

There are four different levels of Home Care Package and each will give you a different amount of funding.

The lowest level of Package is a Level 1 and this is aimed at providing basic level care and support for someone who is still quite independent. You will receive $10,271 per year.

A Level 2 Home Care Package is aimed at supporting people who have low-level care needs. The amount of funding is $18,064 per year.

A Level 3 Home Care Package supports people who have intermediate level care needs and is $39,311 per year.

The highest level of Home Care Package, a Level 4, is allocated to people who have complex and high care needs, such as people with Alzheimer’s disease. The value of a Level 4 Package is $59,594 per year.

How much will a Home Care Package cost me?

If you can afford it, the government expects you to contribute to the costs of your care by paying an income tested fee. If you are a full pensioner, you DO NOT have to pay this.

For those who are not on a full pension, your income will be assessed by Centrelink and based on the amount you earn per annum, you will be charged an out-of-pocket fee. It is an income assessment only, any assets you have are not included.

Some providers also charge a Basic Daily Fee, which can be up to $11.22 per day. We believe that this fee is unnecessary and as such, none of the providers CareAbout partners with will charge a Basic Daily Fee.

How long will it take to get a Home Care Package?

At the moment, there is a significant waiting time for a Home Care Package. These wait times are getting shorter though, and interim (lower-level) Packages are being given to people so that they can receive some amount of care while they wait for their assigned Package.

Most people who have been approved for a Home Care Package are also being approved for the Commonwealth Home Support Program, so that care and support can be received straight away.

The current wait times for Home Care Packages are:

For people with a medium priority, the expected wait time for a Home Care Package (starting from the date on the letter of approval) is:

• Level 1: 3-6 months
• Level 2: 3-6 months
• Level 3: 3-6 months
• Level 4: 3-6 months

*Last revised 17 August 2023 (myagedcare.com.au)

What can I use my Home Care Package funds for?

Essentially, you can use your Home Care Package funding for anything that will help to keep you living safely in your home.

The most common things a Home Care Package is used for, are:

• Domestic assistance
• Gardening and house maintenance
• Meals and shopping
• Social and recreation
• Transport
• Personal care
• In-home respite care
• Home modifications
• Safety and security
• Health and wellbeing
• Equipment, devices and aids

What are the different types of Home Care Package?

There are four different levels of Home Care Package. Each different level will give you a different amount of funding, and therefore a different level of support services.

Learn more about the 4 different levels of Home Care Packages.

Choosing your Home Care provider

Once you have received your Home Care Package funding, choosing a provider can be a difficult and overwhelming task. There are over 900 Home Care providers in Australia – how do you know which is the right one for you?

That’s where we come in. At CareAbout, we’ve vetted many Home Care providers for you and we’ll only work with the very best of them. Don’t get stuck with a provider who won’t treat you the way you deserve to be treated.

Find a quality, trustworthy provider

Changing your Home Care provider

If you have chosen a provider who you’re not completely happy with, it’s easy to change to a new one.

If you’re not sure whether your current provider is delivering quality care and service, learn more about what a quality Home Care provider looks like.

If you’ve decided that you’d like to change your provider, it’s a 4-step process:

1. Decide on your new Home Care provider – we can help here! Don’t waste any more of your time searching for another provider.
2. Contact your current provider and let them know that you are ceasing your services with them
3. Let My Aged Care know that you’re changing – they will need to issue you a new referral code to give to your new provider. You won’t be able to start services with your new provider until you’ve spoken to My Aged Care.
4. Pass your new referral code onto your new provider and start receiving the care you deserve!

Do you need more hours of care? Apply for a higher level Home Care Package

If your health has declined, or you think you’ve been approved for the wrong level of Home Care Package, you can apply for a higher level.

Ask your current Home Care provider (if you have one), or contact My Aged Care (if you don’t have a provider) to arrange another ACAT Assessment.

If your need of care is more suited to a higher level Package than what you current have, then you will be approved and will go back into the National Queue to wait for your new Home Care Package. Don’t worry, you’ll still get to keep your current Package while you’re waiting!