Home Care Package vs Support at Home: What Changed and What It Means for You

Still Searching for "Home Care Package"? You Are Not Alone

If you typed "home care package" into a search engine recently and ended up reading about something called Support at Home, you are not alone. Home Care Packages were a fixture of Australia's aged care system for years. The name became so familiar - to older Australians, their families, and the professionals who supported them - that many people still use it today, even though the program officially ended on 31 October 2025.

From 1 November 2025, the Home Care Packages Program was replaced by a new program called Support at Home. The change was significant, but for many people it happened without much fanfare. Services continued, providers stayed in place, and the transition was largely managed in the background by the government and care organisations. For families who were already deep in the system, the shift may have felt invisible at first.

But the details matter - particularly if you are trying to work out whether government funding can help cover a safety device such as a personal alarm, fall detection device or GPS tracker for an elderly parent or family member. The Support at Home program restructured how assistive technology is funded in a way that directly benefits families looking at safety equipment.

This article explains what the Home Care Package program was, what Support at Home is now, the key differences between them, and what the change means in practical terms for older Australians and their families.

What Was the Home Care Package Program?

Home Care Packages (HCPs) provided government-funded support for older Australians who needed help to keep living at home. The program had four levels based on assessed care needs, with government subsidies ranging from around $10,000 per year at Level 1 through to nearly $60,000 per year at Level 4.

To access a package, you first registered with My Aged Care and completed a needs assessment - either a Regional Assessment Service (RAS) visit for lower-level packages, or an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment for higher-level needs. Once assigned a package level, you chose an approved home care provider who managed the budget on your behalf.

Your funding could be spent across a range of services: personal care, nursing, domestic assistance, transport, meal preparation, allied health services, and assistive technology such as personal alarms and mobility aids. The budget was structured annually, and you contributed a basic daily care fee - around $13 per day for most recipients - plus an income-tested fee if your income was above a certain threshold.

The HCP system had real strengths - it gave older Australians genuine choice about how to spend government support. But it also had frustrating limitations. Waiting lists for Level 3 and Level 4 packages stretched to a year or more in some cases. Provider administration and management fees varied widely between providers, with some taking a significant share of the package before care services were funded. And the annual budget model meant that if your needs changed mid-year, your funding did not easily adjust to match.

For families wanting to add a safety device to a parent's care plan, assistive technology under HCP came out of the same general budget that paid for nursing visits and personal care hours. There was no dedicated technology allocation.

The Home Care Packages Program closed to new entrants on 31 October 2025. It has been replaced entirely by Support at Home.

What Is the Support at Home Program?

Support at Home launched on 1 November 2025 and now serves all older Australians seeking government-funded help to remain living at home. It replaced both the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme.

The program was designed to address the key weaknesses of the old HCP system. Funding classifications are more nuanced, budgets are reviewed more frequently, provider fees are capped at a lower rate, and - importantly for families looking at safety technology - assistive technology now has its own dedicated budget stream that sits completely separately from day-to-day care services.

Support at Home uses eight funding classifications instead of four levels. Assessments are now conducted through a unified Single Assessment System, meaning one assessor covers the full range of care needs rather than the old two-track RAS and ACAT system. Budgets are allocated quarterly, which allows funding to better reflect care needs as they change over time. To give a sense of scale, quarterly budgets in the lower and mid-range classifications sit roughly between $4,000 and $10,000 per quarter - comparable to what many HCP recipients were receiving, though the exact amount depends on your classification and is indexed annually.

Funding flows through three separate streams:

• A services budget - covering personal care, nursing, domestic assistance, transport, meals, allied health and clinical care.
• A care management budget - covering planning, coordination and case management by your provider.
• An Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) budget - a dedicated allocation for equipment such as personal alarms, mobility aids, and fall detection devices, as well as home modifications like grab rails, ramps and stair lifts.

This three-stream structure is one of the most meaningful practical changes from the old system. Under a Home Care Package, every dollar spent on a piece of safety equipment was a dollar not available for a nursing visit or personal care hour. Under Support at Home, the technology budget is separate. Getting a safety device does not reduce your care hours.

Provider care management fees under Support at Home are capped at 10 per cent of your quarterly budget and are paid directly to your provider by the government. Under HCP, management fees were not uniformly regulated and varied considerably between providers. The new structure is more transparent, though it is worth checking the full fee schedule with any provider you choose.

Who Is Eligible for Support at Home?

Support at Home is available to older Australians who need some help to continue living at home independently. Eligibility criteria include:

• Age 65 or over (or 50 or over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people)
• Living at home or planning to return home (not in residential aged care)
• In need of ongoing support to manage daily activities, maintain safety, or maintain independence

To start the process, register with My Aged Care by calling 1800 200 422 or visiting myagedcare.gov.au. A referral from your GP can also initiate the process. An assessor will then visit to determine what level of support suits your needs.

If you were already receiving a Home Care Package before November 2025, you do not need to re-apply. You were automatically transitioned to Support at Home.

Home Care Package vs Support at Home: Key Differences

Here is a comparison of the most important differences between the two programs.

	Home Care Packages	Support at Home
Status	Closed from 1 November 2025	Active from 1 November 2025
Funding levels	4 levels	8 classifications
Budget cycle	Annual	Quarterly
Assistive technology	From general care budget	Dedicated AT-HM budget (up to $15,000 per 12-month period)
Assessment system	RAS or ACAT depending on level	Single Assessment System
Provider admin fees	Varied by provider	Care management capped at 10%
Unspent funds	Rolled over in full annually	Capped rollover ($1,000 or 10% per quarter)
Waiting lists	Up to 12+ months for higher levels	Reduced wait times (ongoing improvement)

For families navigating the system for the first time, the most important practical differences are the quarterly budget review (which means funding can be adjusted as needs change) and the dedicated AT-HM budget (which means safety equipment no longer competes with care hours for funding).

The AT-HM Scheme: Dedicated Funding for Safety Devices

The Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme is the part of Support at Home that is most relevant for families looking at safety technology. According to the Support at Home program manual published by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, it provides a dedicated budget - separate from day-to-day care services - specifically for equipment and home modifications that help older Australians live safely and independently at home.

The AT-HM scheme provides a dedicated 12-month funding allocation across three tiers, with the tier assigned based on your assessed needs:

• Low tier - up to $500
• Medium tier - up to $2,000
• High tier - up to $15,000 (additional funding is available with supporting evidence such as a prescription)

Assistive technology and home modifications also have separate budgets, meaning a participant can access both at the same time if their assessment identifies a need for each. Eligible AT items include:

• Personal alarms and emergency alert devices
• Fall detection equipment
• GPS tracking devices for seniors living with dementia or who are at risk of getting lost
• Mobility aids such as walking frames and wheelchairs
• Home modifications including grab rails, ramps, non-slip flooring and stair lifts

What makes the AT-HM scheme particularly valuable is that it sits outside the main care services budget. Under the old Home Care Package system, if a family wanted to fund a $1,333 safety device for their parent, that money came directly out of the same pool that paid for weekly nursing visits or personal care hours. Under Support at Home, the safety device comes from a separate technology allocation. Your care hours stay intact.

To access the AT-HM scheme, an aged care assessor determines which tier applies based on the participant's functional needs. The KISA Guardian - which combines fall detection, GPS, monitoring and two-way communication - would typically be assessed under the Medium or High tier depending on the individual's situation. Your provider or KISA can help you understand which tier is likely to apply and how to make the request.

How the KISA Guardian Fits Into Support at Home

The KISA Guardian is KISA's approved device for the Support at Home program. It is designed specifically for older Australians who want to remain independent at home while staying connected to help when they need it.

Unlike a basic personal alarm button, the Guardian is a complete safety and communication device in a single unit. It combines:

• Automatic fall detection that triggers an alert if a fall is detected, even if the person cannot press a button
• An SOS button for manual emergency alerts
• GPS location tracking so family members can check in at any time
• Two-way voice communication so the person wearing it can speak directly to the monitoring team or family
• Access to KISA's 24/7 professional monitoring service, which coordinates emergency response if needed
• A simple, screen-free design with large tactile buttons - no menus, no smartphone required

The device is worn on a lanyard around the neck and works indoors and outdoors across Australia.

KISA Guardian pricing options under the Support at Home program:

KISA Guardian+ Annual Care - $1,333: The device plus 12 months of monitoring, GPS, fall detection, unlimited emergency calls and accessories. This is the most popular option for Support at Home recipients, as the full cost can be submitted as a single AT-HM claim and sits well within the funding limit.

KISA Guardian+ Monthly Care - $598 device, then $55 per month from the second month: The device cost is claimable as an AT-HM item, with ongoing monitoring fees managed month by month. This option suits families who want flexibility.

Both options are covered under the Support at Home AT-HM budget. To discuss the best option for your situation, visit our Support at Home page or contact our team directly.

A Practical Example

To make this concrete, here is how Support at Home might work for a typical family.

Margaret is 78 and lives on her own in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. Before November 2025, she was receiving a Level 2 Home Care Package. Her package funded weekly personal care visits, fortnightly home cleaning, and a podiatry appointment each quarter. When her daughter asked about adding a personal alarm, the provider explained it would need to come out of the same Level 2 budget - meaning fewer care hours to make room for it.

After the transition to Support at Home, Margaret's care services continued as before. As a transitioned HCP recipient, she also had automatic access to the AT-HM scheme - no new assessment required. Her daughter contacted KISA, and the KISA Guardian was requested through her Support at Home provider as an AT-HM item. Because Margaret had HCP Commonwealth unspent funds, those were used first to cover the cost - meaning the device came out of funds that were already set aside for her, with no impact on her ongoing care services at all.

Her daughter now checks in on Margaret's location and wellbeing through the MyKISA app (Android / iOS). Margaret wears the Guardian around her neck and knows that if she has a fall - or simply needs to call for help - she can do so immediately, day or night.

Already on a Home Care Package? Here Is What to Expect

If you or a family member were receiving a Home Care Package before November 2025, you were transitioned automatically to the Support at Home program. In most cases:

• Your services have continued without interruption
• Your provider has been in contact about what the transition means for your specific plan
• You have automatic access to the AT-HM scheme with no new assessment required
• If you had Commonwealth unspent funds from your HCP, these are used first for AT-HM items before any new AT-HM tier funding applies

If you were already using a KISA Guardian under a Home Care Package - or if you have just transitioned and are now considering one - our team can help you work through the process. Transition circumstances vary depending on your provider and classification level, so the best first step is to get in touch and we will help you find the simplest path forward.

Contact the KISA team and we will help you work out how to access the Guardian under your Support at Home plan.

How to Access Support at Home for the First Time

If you are not yet receiving any government-funded home care support, here is how to get started with Support at Home:

Step 1 - Register with My Aged Care. Call 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au. You will need a Medicare card. Your GP can also make a referral on your behalf.

Step 2 - Complete a needs assessment. A trained assessor will visit at home to understand what support is needed. The Single Assessment System covers all levels of need, so there is only one assessment regardless of how much support you require.

Step 3 - Receive your classification and budget. You will be assigned a funding classification and a quarterly budget, which includes a separate AT-HM allocation for assistive technology and home modifications.

Step 4 - Choose an approved provider. You select a Support at Home approved provider to manage your care plan. KISA works with providers to supply the Guardian as part of your AT-HM budget.

Step 5 - Request the KISA Guardian. Once your plan is active, you or your provider can request the KISA Guardian as an AT-HM item. Contact KISA and we will guide you through the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still get a Home Care Package in 2025 or 2026?

No. The Home Care Packages Program closed to new entrants on 31 October 2025 and has been replaced by the Support at Home program. If you were already receiving a Home Care Package, you were transitioned to Support at Home automatically. If you are applying for government-funded home care for the first time, you now apply for Support at Home through My Aged Care.

Is Support at Home the same as a Home Care Package?

They serve the same broad purpose - helping older Australians stay living at home with government-funded support - but they work differently. Support at Home has eight funding classifications instead of four, uses a quarterly budget instead of annual, and includes a dedicated AT-HM budget for assistive technology that is completely separate from your care hours. There are also some areas where the new program is more restrictive - for example, unspent funds no longer roll over in full (they are capped at $1,000 or 10% per quarter), and AT-HM funding is approved for a 12-month period per tier rather than being an open-ended allocation. Overall, the programs are broadly comparable in what they deliver, with SaH introducing more structure and transparency in some areas.

Can Support at Home funding pay for a personal alarm or safety device?

Yes. Personal alarms, fall detection devices and GPS trackers are eligible items under the Support at Home AT-HM (Assistive Technology and Home Modifications) scheme. The scheme provides a separate 12-month funding allocation across three tiers (Low $500, Medium $2,000, High $15,000) based on assessed needs - completely independent of your care services budget. Getting a safety device does not reduce your hours for nursing or personal care. The KISA Guardian is an eligible device under this scheme.

How much does the KISA Guardian cost under Support at Home?

The KISA Guardian+ Annual Care package is $1,333, which includes the device, 12 months of monitoring, GPS, fall detection, unlimited emergency calls and accessories. Alternatively, the device is available for $598 with $55 per month from the second month for ongoing monitoring and emergency response. Both options fall well within the Support at Home AT-HM funding limits. Contact KISA and we can help you work out which option suits your plan best.

What if I live in a rural or regional area? Does Support at Home still apply?

Yes. Support at Home is available to eligible older Australians nationwide, and KISA ships the Guardian to all Australian addresses with express delivery. The 24/7 monitoring service operates across the country regardless of location. For people in regional or rural areas, the GPS functionality of the Guardian can be particularly valuable - it allows family members to check in on a parent's location and wellbeing without needing to be nearby.