Accessing help at home
Older people who are experiencing difficulty with day to day tasks may be eligible for Commonwealth Government funded services to help to them remain at home. These range from help with a single task to a package of services.
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme provides a low level of support for a range of single ongoing services or short term services while recovering from an illness or surgery. These services are for people over 65 (or over 50 if of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background).
Home Care Packages provide support and coordination of services for people with more complex care needs. There are 4 levels of Home Care Packages with 4 levels of funding amounts. These packages are administered by approved Home Care Package providers.
The first contact for all Commonwealth Government funded aged care services is My Aged Care 1800 200 422 , www.myagedcare.gov.au. The initial call is to determine the person’s eligibility for services and then a referral is made to a face- to-face assessment service as necessary.
Veterans Home Care is funded by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) to provide basic home support services for eligible veterans and war widows. Eligibility is based on assessed need. Contact a Veterans Home Care Assessment Agency on 1300 550 450.