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Home Care inclusions and exclusions – what to expect from your funding package

Home Care Packages are designed to help you live safely and well at home, but with so many services available, it can be tricky to know what’s included. Here’s a breakdown of what’s covered and what’s not, so you can easily understand your options.

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16 October 2024

Stories | Home Care

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Home Care Packages are a form of government subsidy that supports older Australians to live safely and well at home with a wide range of services to suit most needs and preferences. 

The inclusions and exclusions for your particular Home Care Package will depend on your Care Plan, a document that is individually designed in partnership with your care provider, and regularly updated if your needs change.

In this sense, Home Care Packages are highly tailored to your personal circumstances and often involve a coordinated care approach from a multidisciplinary team of home care, nursing and allied health experts. 

Here’s an idea of what sorts of services you can expect to be included and excluded from your Home Care Package funding.

In this article:

Home Care Package inclusions

Because Home Care Packages are designed to be flexible to incorporate a wide range of services, it can sometimes be confusing to understand what’s included in the funding guidelines.  

When it comes to Home Care Package inclusions and exclusions, the golden rule is that Home Care Package funding can be used towards any age-related service or product that will directly help you continue living safely in your home.

These can roughly be broken down into three main categories:

 

1.  Services that support your physical health

These in-home services are a multidisciplinary approach to care, practised by a team of health professionals. They can include:

  • Nursing
  • Physiotherapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Exercise physiology
  • Podiatry
  • Nutritional support
  • Speech Pathology.

 

2. Services that support a healthy living environment at home

These products or services support you in modifying your home or daily habits with the goal of enhancing your overall quality of life. They might include:  

  • Home modification services, such as installing a stair lift or ramp access.
  • Occupational therapy which can help restore your independence in the activities of day-to-day living 
  • Housekeeping
  • Garden maintenance
  • Grocery shopping and meal preparation.

 

3. Services that support your mental health and social connection

Your social connections and mental health are just as important as your physical health when it comes to your wellbeing, and there are many services available to support you within a Home Care Package. These might include:

  • Connection and transport to your local social club, enabling you to meet local like-minded people at a similar stage of life, and attend facilitated day trips to places of interest
  • Pastoral care in the comfort of your own home
  • Transport to appointments in and around your community.

 

Home Care Package exclusions

While Home Care Packages can incorporate an expansive range of services and products, some items are not accessible through the funding.

If you’re wondering about home care package exclusions, Home Care Package guidelines state that you can only access age-related services that address the care needs and goals as documented in your care plan.

For this reason, Home Care Package funds cannot be used for any costs related to normal daily living such as:

  • Rent or mortgage payments
  • Utility bills
  • Groceries
  • Medication costs
  • Household appliances and non-specialised equipment or furniture

Home Care Packages also exclude any costs associated with:

  • Hospital and larger medical bills
  • Travel or hotel stays
  • Entertainment such as gambling, sporting tickets, or club memberships.

If you’re ever unsure about your Home Care Package inclusions and exclusions, the first step is to seek advice from your provider.

 

Is a Home Care Package worth it? What are the benefits?

Home Care Packages are an integral element in the government’s plan to meet the needs of Australia’s ageing population. There are many benefits to signing up to a Home Care Package, including:

  • Avoid or delay the need for residential aged care 

Home Care Packages and its sister program, the Commonwealth Home Support Program, have helped many older people avoid or delay the need for a move into permanent residential aged care. 

 

  • Receive highly personalised care

Home Care Packages are highly tailored to your personal needs and preferences, meaning that you can get just the right level of support that you need. 

 

  • Flexible care to suit your changing needs over time

Just as your care needs may change over time, so can your Home Care Package. With four levels available, all catering to differing requirements and needs, there is plenty of flexibility to adjust how much care you receive over time. 

For example, you may start on a Level 1 Home Care Package, or the Commonwealth Home Support Program, which offer basic levels of support, and progress to higher Package levels as and when you need them. 

 

How to choose the right home care package provider

If you are new to Home Care Packages, the first step will be to organise an assessment with a member of the Aged Care Assessment Team. We’ve provided detailed instructions on how to do this, here. 

Following your in-person assessment, you will be able to choose your own provider, or your assessor can write you a referral. 

If you are choosing your own provider, you will be given a referral code, which you’ll give to your chosen operator so they can start organising services for you.

It’s important to know that you have 56 days to choose a government-approved care provider and provide them with this referral code.

Unfortunately, if you do not sign with a provider in this time, or request an extension, it will expire, and you will need to reapply to go back on the national waiting list.

 

Home Care services with BaptistCare

BaptistCare at home is one of Australia’s largest and most trusted providers of home care services for seniors. 

For 80 years, we’ve been delivering respectful and reliable care to people across NSW, ACT, and WA. 

If you would like to learn more about BaptistCare’s home care services, our friendly team is here to help. 

Please call 1300 275 227 (Monday to Friday, from 8:00am to 6:00pm) or email us at ask@baptistcare.org.au.