What is home care?

The Government recognises that older Australians prefer to stay in their own homes rather than move into residential aged care. While residential aged care is a great option for higher-level assistance, staying in the family home can be really important to the wellbeing of older Australians.

Ultimately, the decision to stay at home should be yours, and there is a wide array of services available at different levels of care that can assist you in remaining at home comfortably and safely.

Home care is fundamentally support services that can provide a certain level of assistance with a range of tasks and chores to help you remain living at home independently for as long as possible.

Today, ageing in Australia comes with more individual choice and control than ever before, and with it we are seeing more older people choosing to remain at home – with a little or a lot of help

The decision by many Australians to remain at home and within their community as they age is supported through various initiatives, funding and programs. These can be delivered through a number of organisations, groups, and people ranging from aged care providers, local councils and not-for-profits, to community groups.

Home care services can be as simple as family and friends helping out, receiving council supports, or more intense such as accessing Government subsidised assistance through a home care provider.

With all this choice, navigating what is best for you can be a challenge but it is important to remember that finding the right support to help you remain in your own home for longer can come with huge benefits.

Home care is an option for people who are getting older, are chronically ill, recovering from surgery or for people living with disability, and offers a range of support in areas such as personal care, home maintenance, cooking and meal preparation, health care and transport.

When accessing home care, you will stay in your own home and community, surrounded by all of your belongings and retaining the freedom to come and go as you please. It means that services or care workers will come into your home to help you out with whatever support you need or have been assessed as needing.

The level of support home care services can provide ranges from a little bit of help with the weekly shopping, for example, to high level assistance for several hours each day, helping you shower and get dressed, get to appointments and prepare meals, or help to access support aids like handrails. It all depends on your needs, wants and circumstances.

In Australia, there are two main streams of home care – the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) and Home Care Packages (HCPs). Both programs are subsidised by the Government and are available after assessment to see if you are eligible for support.

While these are the most common home care services accessed, there are a number of other options you may want to consider if you do need some help around the house to live safely, comfortably and well. These include accessing self-funded or private home care services or getting help from personal networks and the community.

Some people use a combination of these options to meet their needs or to assist them while they are waiting to be assessed for Government funded support or for services to become available.