What services does home care provide?

If you're starting to look for support, the first question is often what home care actually involves. This guide explains what home care is, the services it can include and how it's funded.

What is home care?

Home care is support that helps you live independently in your own home. It can range from regular help with housework to visits from a registered nurse.

Support is usually delivered in your home and out in your community. You choose the services you need, and you can change them as your needs change.

Services home care can include

Every person's support looks different, but most home care services fall into a few broad groups.

Everyday living

This is practical help around the home, so you have more time and energy for the things you enjoy.

• Cleaning, laundry and changing beds

• Shopping and preparing meals

• Gardening and basic home maintenance

Personal care

Personal care is help with daily routines, delivered in a way that respects your privacy and preferences.

• Showering and dressing

• Continence support

• Help with eating

• Help with taking your own medicines

Clinical care

Clinical care is delivered by qualified health professionals, such as registered nurses and allied health professionals.

• Nursing, including wound care

• Physiotherapy and occupational therapy

• Podiatry

Getting out and staying connected

Home care can also help you stay involved in your community and keep up the activities you enjoy.

• Transport to appointments, shopping or social outings

• Support to join social and cultural activities

• Respite care, so family carers can take a break

Equipment and home changes

Some people need equipment or small changes at home to move around safely. Under Support at Home, the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme can fund products, equipment and home adjustments to meet your assessed needs.

Who home care is for

Home care can help at different stages of life. It's often used by:

• Older people who want to live independently at home

• People with disability who want support to reach their goals

• People recovering after a hospital stay or illness

• Family carers who'd like support or a break

Why people choose care at home

Many people prefer to receive support in a place they know. Care at home lets you keep your own routine, your own space and your connections with neighbours and friends.

Care at home also keeps you in charge. You decide which services you receive, when they happen and who's involved. Family can stay closely involved, if that's what you want.

How home care is funded

There are several ways to pay for home care, and many people use more than one.

Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)

This program offers entry-level help for older people who need one or two basic services. According to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, CHSP will move into Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.

Support at Home

Support at Home is the government's in-home aged care program for people with more complex needs. It replaced Home Care Packages from 1 November 2025. If you had a Home Care Package, you now receive Support at Home.

Under Support at Home, you don't contribute to clinical supports such as nursing. Since 1 October 2026, approved personal care has also been fully funded. You contribute towards other services based on your income and assets, as explained on My Aged Care.

To find out what aged care support you're eligible for, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or apply online.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

If you're a participant in the NDIS, your plan may fund supports at home. Talk to the NDIS about what your plan covers.

Private care

You can also pay for support yourself, without an assessment. Some people do this while they wait for funding, or to add extra hours.

Questions to ask a home care provider

When you speak with providers, these questions can help you compare them.

• Which services can you deliver in my area?

• How will you keep me and my family updated?

• Can you support me in my preferred language?

• Where can I see your prices?

• Do you have registered nurses and allied health professionals on your team?

Talk to us about home care

At HomeCaring, we offer everyday, personal and clinical care, with support built around your needs, not the system's. Your local team will keep you updated, in the language and format you prefer.

We'll start with a free in-home assessment. We'll talk about what matters to you, explain your funding options and set out what happens next. Reach out to our Care Specialists on 1300 875 377.