New Aged Care Standards

New Aged Care Standards

The New Aged Care Act

The New Aged Care Act that will be introduced on the 1st of July 2025, responds to approximately 60 recommendations from the Royal Commission. Among those recommendations are the introduction of a Statement of Rights for older people, the Support at Home Program, and stronger powers for the regulator, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC).

The new Aged Care Act will also deliver a range of improvements including a new regulatory model and strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards to ensure older people and their needs are at the centre of the new aged care system.

The New Strengthened Aged Care Standards

The strengthened standards place older people at the center of their care, increase protections for older people, and support people living with dementia, while also better including people from diverse backgrounds.

The number of Standards has been reduced down to 7, and these are:

  1.  The Person – It defines the way providers and workers should treat older people, reflect the new Statement of Rights and is relevant to all Quality Standards. 
  2. The Organisation – It sets the expectations about the quality care and services that a provider’s governing body must meet.
  3. The Care and Services – It describes how providers must deliver care and services for all service types. 
  4. The environment – This standard ensures older people receive care and services in a physical environment that is safe and supportive and meets their needs.
  5. Clinical Care – This describes provider responsibilities to deliver safe and quality clinical care to older people.
  6. Food and Nutrician – This Quality Standard outlines the food and nutrition obligations for residential aged care providers.
  7. The Residential Community – This Quality Standard directs residential aged care providers to ensure community is central to the lives of aged care residents.

 Do you have further questions?

If you wish to know more about the New Aged Care Standards then visit the government’s webpage.

Support at Home Advice for those who are new to Home Care Services

Support at Home Advice for those who are new to Home Care Services

If you or a loved one need support to live independently at home, then the Support at Home Program could be the right option for you. Support at Home will start on the 1st of July 2025 and it will replace the current Home Care Package (HCP) program and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) program. In doing so, it will offer a more tailored support and a clearer pathway to accessing essential services.

What kind of support can the Support at Home Program provide for me?

As part of the Support at Home Program offers a wide range of services, including personal care, allied health services, assistive technology, home modifications, and more. This program helps you to live independently in your own home and in your community.

Services are provided via 3 main categories:

  • Independence support such as personal care, showering.
  • Everyday living assistance such as cleaning, gardening, meals.
  • Clinical care – such as nursing, physiotherapy, care management.

 How do I access Support at Home Services?

  • To register, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or online www.myagedcare.gov.au/assessment/apply- online

    Tip: Have your Medicare Card with you when you call. My Aged Care will ask you a range of questions. This helps the person who you are talking with understand and assess your care needs.
    Family, friends, carers or health professionals can call on your behalf, but My Aged Care will ask you for your consent for them to talk for you. If you need Translating and Interpreting Services (TIS) these can be arranged.

  • Based on the information you give during your call to My Aged Care, you may be referred for an assessment to better understand your support needs. Assessments may be done over the phone or in person within your own home. They’ll look at how much assistance you require with daily activities, health care, mobility, and other aspects of your life. We encourage a family member, friend or carer to be with you during your assessment for extra support.
  • Determine Support Level: Based on the assessment, you’ll be assigned a support level, and with the Support at Home Program, there are 8 ongoing support levels. The level you’re assigned will determine the amount of funding available to you.
  • After you’ve been assigned a support level, you will be placed on a waiting list with My Aged Care. When a place is available then contact us and one of our Care Partners will help you design a care plan that fits your specific needs, goals, and preferences.

Do you have further questions?

In the lead up to July the 1st, new information is continuing to come to light so please don’t hesitate in contacting us if you have any questions about obtaining services.

Note: the information provided was correct at the time of publishing, however there may still be some changes about the Support at Home Program leading up to the beginning of July so to keep up to date we recommend that you visit the Department of Health Website

Support at Home Advice for those on a Home Care Package

Support at Home Advice for those on a Home Care Package

Everyone who is currently on a Home Care Package will be transitioning on to the new Support at Home Program, and it is our goal to keep you updated on the changes as they occur. We will be with you every step of the way.

So what are the key changes for those transitioning on a Home Care Package.

New Classification levels

As part of the Support at Home Program, new classifications will be introduced. You would be familiar with the 4 existing classification levels in a Home Care Package, well in the Support at Home Program there will be there will be 8 different funding classifications that provide ongoing support. (Current Home Care Package clients will not need to be reassessed if your current services are meeting your needs). Plus there will be 3 short term classifications, which are –

– the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) Scheme
– the Restorative Care Pathway
– the End-of-Life Pathway.

 Pricing and Budget Changes

  • For the first year of Support at Home, in-home aged care providers will continue to set their own prices for Support at Home services. However, from the 1st of July 2026, there will be an introduction of price caps on services in the new Support at Home program.
  • Budgets will now be done Quarterly, so there will be four quarterly budgets within the year. Existing Home Care Package clients will receive a Support at Home Budget which will match their current Home Care Package Budget.
  • Home Care Package clients with Commonwealth unspent funds will retain these funds to be used under the Support at Home.
  • Upfront Supports: Includes allied health, assistive technology, and home modifications.
  • A defined service list that provides clarity on what’s available under the program.
  • Capped Care management: 10% of your quarterly budget will be pooled for Australian Unity to deliver care management.

Our Commitment to all clients transitioning to the Support at Home Program

Country Home Services are dedicated to providing consistent, high-quality care throughout the transition to Support at Home. We will ensure that all clients are not financially worse-off through transitioning their services to Support at Home and into the future.

Do you have further questions?

In the lead up to July the 1st, new information is continuing to come to light so please don’t hesitate in contacting us if you have any questions about how to transition to the Support at Home Program.

Note: the information provided was correct at the time of publishing, however there may still be some changes leading up to the beginning of July so we recommend that you visit the Department of Health Website

Introducing the Support at Home Program

Introducing the Support at Home Program

The Australian Government has announced major changes to aged care as a response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. These changes involve introducing a new Aged Care Act and a new program called the Support at Home Program, with both of these changes coming into effect from the 1st of July 2025.

The Support at Home Program will replace the current Home Care Packages (HCP) and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) programs. Eventually it will bring all of the current in-home aged care programs together, ensuring a simpler and more equitable system for older people that helps them to stay at home for longer.

Support at Home will ensure improved access to services, equipment and home modifications to help older people remain healthy, active and socially connected to their community.

If you are currently on a Home Care Package, you will be transitioning to the Support at Home Program on the 1st of July. Please know that we are more than happy to assist you with this transition, and answer any questions you have. 

To find out more about the Support at Home Program, visit the government’s site Support at Home and to keep in touch with the updates, visit our page Support at Home

Seniors Community Talk – Kadina

Seniors Community Talk – Kadina

Kadina's Seniors Community Talk

In August, we travelled to Kadina for our next Seniors Community event, and we were grateful to have such a wonderful turn out.

There was some great discussions and questions from the community, especially with our first guest speaker, Senior Constable Richard Osbourn. Constable Osbourn shared his wisdom on scam awareness with the community.

Scams are at an all time high at the moment, and unfortunatley older australians are the biggest target for scammers, so having Constable Osbourn present a talk on how to protect yourself from scammers was invaluable for the community.

If you would like to know more about protecting yourself from scams, then visit www.scamwatch.gov.au

Our second talk was called Don’t take all your secrets to the grave by our staff member Maggie.

This talk raised the importance of recording your wishes as you approach towards end of life, or having your wishes in place in case anything should happen to you. Through this discussion, Maggie referred to two great resources. The first is the Advanced Care Directive. An Advance Care Directive empowers you to make clear legal arrangements for your future health care, end of life, preferred living arrangements and other personal matters.

The second resource is the Bottom Drawer Book.

Their website https://thebottomdrawerbook.com.au/ shares that this book is “The after death action plan will help you prepare for the inevitable by giving you the information you need to make your funeral decisions. Full of practical tips, there’s lots of room to write your plans, requests, and life’s reflections.

This quirky, thorough, and very Australian workbook guides you through things to consider with humour, like a religious funeral or celebration of life? Hymns or pop songs? Fire cremation, water cremation, natural or conventional burial? A champagne wake or cordial and cake?

Written by Aussie journo Lisa Herbert, The Bottom Drawer Book will make things easier for your grieving loved ones when the time does eventually come. Once you’ve filled in the book, you can get on with living!”

It was a fantastic event, and both guest speakers received plenty of questions, and lots of positive feedback.