What is a Home Care Package ?

The Home Care Packages program is a government-subsidised program that provides long-term support for older people who want to stay living at home.

There are four levels of Home Care Package for different levels of care and support needs. Each level receives a different amount of funding. This money can be used to buy hours of care or other support that suits your needs.

Home Care Package funds aren’t paid to you directly. Instead, you choose an approved Home Care Package provider to administer the funds on your behalf and give you ‘case management’ support and advice. Once you have a Home Care Package, you can keep it for as long as you need. If your needs increase, you may be re-assessed for a higher level package.

What are Home Care Package Levels

There are four levels of Home Care Package for different care and support needs:

• Level 1 for basic needs
• Level 2 for low-level care needs
• Level 3 for intermediate care needs
• Level 4 or high-level care needs.

Each level receives a different amount of government funding. The higher the level, the more funding the government pays on your behalf, allowing you to buy more services. A Level 4 package allows you to buy the most services. Once you’ve had an Aged Care Assessment, you will be told which level applies for you.

What is not covered in my Home Care Package ?

Some things are excluded. The package won’t pay for:

• Day-to-day bills
• Food.
• Rent or mortgage payments.
• Gambling.
• Entertainment.
• Holidays.
• Things already covered by Medicare or Pharmaceutical Benefits.
• programs already funded or subsidised by the Australian Government.