Restorative Care Pathway
From 1 November 2025, the Restorative Care Pathway will replace the Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme.
This pathway will provide an intensive short-term period of care designed to:
- prevent or delay the need for ongoing in-home care services or the need to access higher levels of ongoing care
- support participants to regain their ability to carry out daily activities
- help participants to manage new or changing age-related conditions
- provide reablement education and skills to participants on how they can retain better function as they age for longer independent living.
Support will be available for up to 16 weeks. This is an increase from the 8 weeks available under the STRC Programme.
An assessment will determine access to the Restorative Care Pathway. Those approved for the Restorative Care Pathway will be provided with $6,000 to support access to intensive allied health/nursing services to improve and regain function to help them remain independent for longer.
Participants already accessing ongoing services may also be eligible to access the Restorative Care Pathway.
We will evaluate the Restorative Care Pathway to ensure participants are receiving appropriate support to increase their independence to remain at home and restore function.
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme
The AT-HM scheme will give Support at Home participants access to assistive technology and home modifications based on their assessed needs. Participants will not have to save up funds from their Support at Home quarterly budget.
Assessors may approve participants for an assistive technology funding tier, a home modifications funding tier, or both.
Assistive technology
Assistive technology includes items, pieces of equipment or products that are used to help a participant to do things more easily or complete activities they can no longer do independently.
Examples of assistive technology include:
- mobility equipment such as walking sticks, walking frames and wheelchairs
- toileting supports including bedpans and commodes
- bathing devices including shower chairs and bath boards.
The assistive technology funding tiers are:
| Funding tier | Amount |
| Low | Under $500 |
| Medium | Up to $2,000 |
| High | Up to $15,0001 (nominal) |
|
The funding will cover the item as well as prescription from suitably qualified health professionals, when required, with wrap-around supports to ensure the items are used safely and effectively.
We will provide more information before Support at Home commences on 1 November 2025.
Home modifications
Home modifications provide changes to a participant’s home environment to make it safer and more accessible, so the participant can remain living safely at home.
Examples of home modifications include:
- grab rails in the shower or bathroom
- internal and external handrails
- non-slip surfaces for floors and stairs.
In some circumstances, participants may be approved for more significant home modifications including:
- bathroom redesign (for example, changes to design layout to improve accessibility)
- ramps and stair lifts.
The home modifications funding tiers are:
| Funding tier | Amount |
| Low | Under $500 |
| Medium | Up to $2,000 |
| High | Up to $15,000 |
AT-HM list
The AT-HM list outlines the products, equipment and home modifications that Support at Home participants can access through the AT-HM scheme.
The AT-HM list uses the Australian-adopted Assistive product – classification and terminology standard (AS/NZS ISO 9999:2023). It draws from subject matter experts and international human rights instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (2006).
The AT-HM list will be reviewed annually. This review will consider emerging technologies and align with any broader government, care and support sector developments. We will share more information on the AT-HM list review in the coming months.
How it works
The AT-HM list describes how a participant can access each item safely and effectively.
- Low risk: simple, low-cost daily living products that need no prescription or customisation.
- Under advice: items that are generally low risk but would benefit from professional advice to ensure that they are selected, installed or used effectively.
- Prescribed: these are more complex or costly products and equipment, often configured or adapted to meet participants’ individual support needs. A suitably qualified health professional must prescribe the item.
What we don’t fund
The AT-HM list excludes products and equipment that are:
- more appropriately funded by other government services
- considered a usual household or discretionary expense
- for use in a workplace
- used for mass transit
- used by children.
Some items may be available to participants through the AT-HM scheme under specific circumstances.
National Assistive Technology Loans Scheme
We are exploring the establishment of a National Assistive Technology Loans Scheme (AT Loans Scheme) as a part of the AT-HM scheme. We expect to deliver the scheme in partnership with state and territory governments. It will have a staged implementation after 1 November 2025. The start date is anticipated to be different across each state and territory.
Support at Home participants assessed as requiring assistive technology will be able to access their required loanable equipment and products through the AT Loans Scheme when it is available in their area. The AT Loans Scheme will provide the loanable items, including delivery and installation. The Scheme will also support maintenance, repairs and refurbishment of loaned items to ensure all equipment and products are fit for purpose.
More information on the AT Loans Scheme will be available in the coming months.
AT Loans Scheme trial
A 12-month trial of the AT Loans Scheme was undertaken between July 2024 and June 2025 in partnership with EnableNSW.
The trial was available to eligible Home Care Package Program and STRC clients living in these aged care planning regions:
- south west Sydney
- Riverina/Murray.
An independent evaluation was conducted between September 2024 and March 2025 [PG1] to test the efficiency of the AT Loans Scheme and inform future design.
Read the AT Loans Scheme trial evaluation report [Link to new report]
End-of-Life Pathway
Many older people wish to remain in their own homes as they near the end of their life. The new End-of-Life Pathway will help them to remain at home if they have 3 months or less to live.
The End-of-Life Pathway is intended to provide higher levels of funding for in-home aged care services (such as personal care, domestic assistance and general nursing care) to complement services available under state and territory-based palliative care schemes.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the End-of-Life Pathway, an older person must meet the following criteria:
- a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner provides an estimated life expectancy of 3 months or less to live, and
- a score of 40 or less on the Australian-modified Karnofsky Performance Status (AKPS) score (mobility/frailty indicator).
The End-of-Life Pathway form
The End-of-Life Pathway form is required to be completed and submitted before a participant can be assessed as eligible for the End-of-Life Pathway. The form captures specific medical information related to the participant’s medical condition and evidence of end-of-life.
The participant, their supporter or substitute decision maker, or the provider must download the form and provide this to the appropriate medical practitioner (their GP, non-GP specialist or nurse practitioner) for completion. Upon completion, the form will need to be submitted for consideration by the aged care assessor.
Access to the End-of-Life Pathway
The End-of-Life Pathway is available to Support at Home participants already accessing ongoing services, as well as older people who are not currently accessing services through the Support at Home program.
Older people will be referred to a high priority assessment process to confirm their eligibility for the End-of-Life Pathway and approve a list of services they may access. We will provide more information before Support at Home commences on 1 November 2025.
Budget
A total of $25,000 will be available per eligible participant over a 12-week period, with a total of 16 weeks to use the funds to provide additional flexibility. This is the highest funding classification category (per day) available in the Support at Home program.
Funding can be used to access the participant’s approved services from the Support at Home service list, including care management.