If you've heard the term "Home Care Package" and felt immediately overwhelmed, you're in good company. So let me explain what it actually is, how it works, and – most importantly – the one thing I wish someone had told me before we needed it.

So what actually is a Home Care Package?

In plain terms: it's government funding to help your parent stay living safely at home. Instead of moving into aged care, the government provides a subsidy – money – that pays for services to support daily life.

Think of it as a care budget that follows the person, not the provider. It can be used for things like help around the house, personal care (showering, dressing), transport to appointments, nursing visits, physio, mobility aids, and modifications to the home like rails and ramps.

There are four levels, based on how much support someone needs:

These amounts go to a provider, not directly to the person. What's available for actual care is often significantly less once provider fees are deducted.

How do you actually access one?

Everything starts with contacting My Aged Care – the government's entry point for aged care services. You can call them on 1800 200 422 or apply online at myagedcare.gov.au.

From there, the process looks like this:

• 1
  Contact My Aged Care and request an assessment Call 1800 200 422 or apply online. The initial call takes about 15–20 minutes. You'll be asked some basic questions about your parent's situation.
• 2
  Have the assessment As of December 2024, ACAT and RAS assessments were merged into a single assessment system. An assessor visits the home to understand your parent's health, mobility, safety, and daily living needs. It usually takes 1–2 hours. Have a family member there if you can – it helps.
• 3
  Wait. And wait. Once approved, your parent enters the national priority queue. This is where many families are blindsided. More on this below.
• 4
  Choose a provider Once a package is assigned, you choose a provider to manage the funding and organise services. You are allowed to change providers if it's not working. Many families don't know this.
• 5
  Build a care plan You and the provider create a plan: what services are needed, how the budget is spent, and how it can be adjusted as things change.

Now for the part they don't put in the brochure

The wait times are brutal. And they're getting worse, not better.

The Productivity Commission's 2025 report found assessment delays had blown out to an average of 138 days – up from just 43 days in 2020–21. And that's just to get the assessment. The wait for an actual package comes after that.

One Queensland woman who shared her story with The CareSide put it in a single sentence that I think says it all:

The one thing I wish someone had told me earlier

Get your parent assessed before you think you need to.

I know that sounds counterintuitive. But here's the reality of how this system works: the time between needing care and receiving government-funded care can be a year or more. If you wait until there's a crisis – a fall, a hospital admission, a sudden change – you're already behind.

From Belinda – personal experience

My mum was assessed early – when my dad was still alive and going through his own health challenges. I didn't fully understand the system at the time, but someone pointed us in the right direction and we got her into it.

That early assessment meant that when we genuinely needed support – when Mum lost her licence and her world got smaller overnight – she was already in the system. The funding was there.

But here's what nobody tells you: being in the system and actually getting the support you need are two very different things. Mum is entitled to transport help through her package. Finding an actual service to provide it? Nearly impossible in our area. So I'm still driving her, or she's trying to use DiDi and Uber – which, at 83, having never caught a taxi in her life, is overwhelming in a way that's hard to describe. The app, the technology, the whole concept of a stranger in an unmarked car. It's a lot.

This is exactly why I'm building NAVO. Not because the system is perfect once you're in it – it's not. But because being in the system early at least gives you options. And right now, most families don't even know to start.

What can the funding actually be used for?

The government allows flexibility – but only for things that support ageing at home. Approved uses include cleaning, gardening, meals, personal care, nursing, physio and allied health, transport, mobility aids, and home modifications.

What it can't be used for: rent, general groceries, holidays, or anything unrelated to care needs.

What about the transport problem specifically?

I raise this because it's more common than people realise. Transport is one of the most frequently approved services under a Home Care Package – and one of the hardest to actually access in practice. COTA Australia has reported that older people regularly contact listed providers only to be told there's no capacity available. The gap between what the system says exists and what's actually accessible on the ground is significant – and it's something we're determined to help families navigate through NAVO.

What's changing in 2026?

The aged care system has undergone its biggest overhaul in decades. From 1 November 2025, the new Aged Care Act 2024 came into full effect, and a new program called Support at Home replaced the Home Care Package system for new applicants.

If your parent was already receiving a Home Care Package before November 2025, they were automatically transitioned across. If you're starting the process now, you're entering under the new Support at Home framework – which aims to simplify things, though the waiting list reality remains the same.

My honest advice

Don't wait for a crisis. Don't wait until your parent is asking for help – because by the time most people ask, the situation is already urgent. And urgent and a 12-month waiting list are a very bad combination.

If your parent is 65 or older and managing independently right now, that's actually the best possible time to get an assessment done. It costs nothing. It takes a couple of hours. And it means that when things do shift – and at some point, they always do – you're already in the queue.

Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. Do it this week. Even if everything feels fine right now.

And if you're not sure where else to start, take the free NAVO check-in. It takes 15 minutes and gives you a clear picture of what you know, what you're missing, and what to focus on next. That clarity alone is worth it.

This post contains general information only. It is not financial, legal, or medical advice. For advice specific to your family's situation, speak with a qualified professional or contact My Aged Care directly on 1800 200 422.