Your mind is made up: you want to keep living at home. It’s a choice that lots of older Australians are making, and the government is backing them up, with a range of subsidies for home care services (although of course, the bureaucratic manoeuvres can be burdensome and the wait can be long).
Here’s the lowdown on exactly what you can expect to pay for each level of home care, whether you’re taking the government up on their subsidies or taking the private option.
Short-term or basic support
If you need a little bit of help for short while – if you’re recovering from an illness for example, or when your normal carer is on away on holidays – the Commonwealth Home Support Program provides a government subsidy so you can access a variety of services to keep things ticking over. The list of services you can access isn’t exhaustive, but includes the things you’re most likely to need a helping hand with – transport, preparing meals, nurse visits and allied health services.
To get your hands on the subsidy, you’ll need to organise an assessment through My Aged Care; they’ll help you work out which services you need and how much they cost. Fees are set by the government, and the subsidy means that the amount you pay is determined by your income – you’ll only pay what you can afford to.
Long-term subsidised support
The next step up, if you need ongoing care to stay at home, is to apply for the Support at Home program (previously called a Home Care Package), which will get you access to a wider range of services and more government help to pay for them. You will work with your provider to decide the care and services you will receive and choose from a list of services approved during your assessment. This is set out in your care plan and individualised budget. Your provider will also give you a monthly statement to keep track of your budget.
If you receive ongoing services through Support at Home, 10% of your quarterly budget will go towards care management, which will be allocated to your provider.
You will be allocated a quarterly budget, which covers 3 months of the year. How much funding you get from the government is based on your ongoing classification.
There are eight classifications with the top one paying approx $77,000 per year.
The percentage of your contribution will depend on your financial circumstances. This is determined by an income and assets assessment. Full pensioners will make the lowest contribution, and self-funded retirees who are not eligible for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) will make the highest contribution.
It is best to provide your income and assets information to Services Australia, otherwise you will be given a ‘means not disclosed’ status and your contributions will be set at the maximum rate.
Your provider must support you to understand your contributions.
Private services
If you have the funds, there are plenty of private services out there to help you stay living at home. The benefits are that you don’t need an assessment, and you can access these services straight away, rather than wait for the heavy wheels of bureaucracy to turn (the wait time for the Support at Home program to come through can be over 12 months).
But, of course, you’ll pay. As a ball-park guide, private carers cost from around $50 to $80 an hour for things like cooking, cleaning and personal care. For nursing, you’ll pay anywhere from around $60 to $160 an hour for home care, depending on whether the nurse is an enrolled or registered nurse. Both carers and nurses charge at the top end of this scale for working weekends.
Full-time live-in care costs are quoted at anything from $4000 to $7000 a week, and specialised care can top out way above that. Charges, as well as the expertise of the staff and quality of care, vary widely across service providers, so be sure to do your research and check credentials. Ask around your family and friends – word of mouth is always the best recommendation.
Even if it’s not a long-term option for you, you might decide to use private care to get you over a little hump, or while you’re waiting for your government subsidy to come through. Remember, even if you decide to source your care privately, you’re still entitled to Support at Home – it's available to all Australians, regardless of income level.
