Getting started
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 and over may be eligible for aged care. You can apply for an aged care assessment to see what support is available.
Kinship carers
If you are a kinship carer, you can still access aged care. You must be aged 50 years or over to apply for aged care.
Getting an aged care assessment or accessing services won’t impact your kinship caring arrangements.
Aged care services can help you to keep caring for your family as you get older.
How to apply for an assessment
The first step to get government-funded aged care services is to check if you are eligible for an aged care assessment.
You can do this:
- through an Elder Care Support worker by emailing aged.care@naccho.org.au or seeing the list of Elder Care Support providers
- online at the My Aged Care website
- by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422
- in-person with an Aged Care Specialist Officer at a Services Australia office. Book an appointment by calling 1800 227 475.
How we assess for aged care
If your application to get an assessment is approved, you will be referred for an assessment. This involves a yarn with an assessment worker to talk about your aged care needs and support that you need at home. It can be done in person at your own home.
Support for a culturally safe aged care assessment
All aged care assessors have completed an introduction to cultural safety training. They must work with you respectfully to understand your needs in aged care services and how it matters to you and your family. They must listen to you and your family to try to observe local protocols to help you feel safe in your assessment.
You can have a trusted person nominated by you present during your assessment. This could be a:
- family member
- friend
- carer
- support service like an Elder Care Support worker, care finder or Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) advocate (if requested and available)
- trusted person from your community.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care assessment organisations
Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations are offering aged care assessments in parts of Australia. The organisations are usually Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisations.
These organisations offer aged care assessments that are:
- culturally safe
- trauma aware
- healing informed.
They will support older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to get aged care services that suit their needs.
The assessments are done by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or by people trained by the organisation to be culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed.
If you choose one of these organisations, you can also bring someone you trust to support you and use an interpreter if needed.
As more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations start offering assessments, they will be added to the Single Assessment System list of assessment organisations. Over time, more areas across Australia will be included.
Until then, older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can still get assessments through the existing Single Assessment System. They can work with Elder Care Support workers, Care Finders and/or Older Persons Advocacy Network advocates to support them with these assessors.
How to get an assessment with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation
You will be asked if your preference is to be assessed by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation when you:
- register with My Aged Care by phone or in person (this could be done with the help of an Elder Care Support worker)
- speak directly to an assessment organisation
- talk to your GP, health or aged care worker
- you can log your preference on the My Aged Care online portal for an assessment with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation.
Using My Aged Care
My Aged Care can give you:
- information on the different types of aged care services available
- an assessment of needs to identify eligibility and the right type of care
- referrals and support to find service providers that can meet your needs
- information on what you might need to pay towards the cost of your care.
To contact My Aged Care, you can ask an Elder Care Support worker to help you, or:
- call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422
- visit face-to-face by speaking with an Aged Care Specialist Officer (to book an appointment call 1800 227 475 or visit any Services Australia office)
- go online by visiting Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the My Aged Care website.
Types of aged care services
Aged care supports older people who need help at home or more care than they can get at home. It can help you stay at home longer and live a better life as you get older.
Support at Home program
Support at Home helps eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and over to get aged care that is:
- culturally safe
- trauma-aware
- healing-informed
- in or near your community.
The program has services, products, equipment and home modifications to support you as you age. This can help older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people remain healthy, active and socially connected to their community.
The Support at Home program replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme from 1 November 2025.
Visit Support at Home program resources for information about Support at Home for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)
CHSP provides aged care services at home for older people who need some help to stay at home. It aims to support the social, cultural, spiritual and care needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Support services include domestic assistance, transport, meals, personal care, social support, nursing and allied health. The CHSP is not designed for people with intensive or complex care needs.
The CHSP will remain in place until it becomes part of the Support at Home program. This will happen no earlier than 1 July 2027.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program (NATSIFACP)
There are culturally safe services offered through the NATSIFACP. This program offers a range of different, flexible types of aged care to meet the changing needs of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Residential aged care: living in an aged care home
Residential aged care services, sometimes also known as nursing homes, are for older people who can no longer live at home and need ongoing help with everyday tasks or health care.
When you live in an aged care home, you will get:
- your own room or an area in a shared room with amenities like a shower or toilet
- services that meet your day-to-day needs, such as meals, laundry and social activities
- help with bathing, eating and taking medications, as you need or want it
- clinical care, such as nursing and other health care.
Translating and interpreting services
If you need help with translation and interpreting, you can call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask for an interpreter in various Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
Through your interpreter, My Aged Care can answer your aged care questions and help you access services.
My Aged Care also has brochures in several languages to help you:
- understand how aged care services can help you
- choose the provider that is right for you.
Through My Aged Care, Aunty Shirley arranged for an Aboriginal aged care service to provide her with help at home.
Support to help you access aged care services
Elder Care Support
Elder Care Support workers can help you understand aged care services, assessments and choose between different providers.
The Elder Care Support Program is delivered by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. For support email aged.care@naccho.org.au.
Find an Elder Care Support organisation near you.
Care finders
Care finders can help older people who need intensive help to access aged care services and other supports in the community. It is a free service for vulnerable people who have no one else who can support them.
Visit the My Aged Care website to see a list of care finders in your area.
Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN)
OPAN provide free and confidential support for older people receiving government-funded aged care. They provide advocacy services to help you receive better aged care. They can help you understand your rights, find aged care services that are right for you, and try to solve any problems you’re having with your aged care.
They have a network of specialist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocates who can support you to get aged care that meets your needs.
Visit the OPAN website for more information.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council (NATSIAACC)
NATSIAACC works with their member organisations and governments to ensure Elders can access support and care that is culturally safe, trauma-aware and healing-informed, and recognises the importance of their personal connections to community and Country.
Visit the NATSIAACC website for more information.
Aged Care Specialist Officers
Aged Care Specialist Officers can help you with your aged care matters. This free service is available through video chat or in person at some Services Australia service centres. Services Australia is sometimes known as Centrelink.
Book a face-to-face appointment with an Aged Care Specialist Officer.
Make a complaint
You have the right to give feedback or make complaints about the aged care information or services you receive.
Find out how to make a complaint.
More information and resources
Find more information and resources about aged care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by visiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care.