Paying for care

The Home Care Package (HCP) program is a government-subsidised program that provides for older people needing longer-term/more complex care and support services to remain living independently at home.

There are four levels of packages for different levels of care and support needs.

• Home Care Level 1 – to support people with basic care needs
• Home Care Level 2 – to support people with low-level care needs
• Home Care Level 3 – to support people with intermediate-level care needs
• Home Care Level 4 – to support people with high-level care needs

Each level receives a different amount of funding. This money can be used to buy hours of care or other services and supports that suit your needs.

Package funds aren’t paid to you directly. Instead, you choose an approved HCP provider to administer the funds on your behalf and give you ‘care management’ support and advice.

Once you have a HCP, you can keep it for as long as you need. If your needs increase, you are able to be re-assessed for a higher level package.

Once you’ve had an Aged Care Assessment, you will be advised which level applies for you.

The Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assess people’s eligibility for a Home Care Package (HCP) and other aged care services, such as residential respite and permanent aged care.

They are professional health and community care clinicians who visit you at home to assess your needs. They do a comprehensive assessment for your eligibility for care and services.

During the assessment visit, the ACAT clinician (usually a nurse, social worker or other health care professional) will ask questions about how well you are managing in your day-to-day life. They will also explain the assessment process and give you advice on the types of care services that may help you to stay at home.

Your assessed needs will determine which level of HCP you are eligible for. You will also be asked about whether you want approvals to use residential respite care in the future.

In some instances, when staying at home is no longer possible, the assessment can also help to determine your eligibility for care in a residential aged care centre. Carinity have residential aged care communities across Queensland that provide a full range of care including short-term respite, long-term/permanent, dementia and palliative care.

My Aged Care (MAC) is the Government gateway for all aged care needs, including assessment and information on aged care support and programs across Australia.

Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au

Costs for home care can vary depending on your individual needs and whether you are choosing to self-fund your services, or eligible for subsidised care from the Government. Just like your individual care needs, we’ll discuss all the available funding options to find the one that best suits you, and develop an individualised budget.

At Carinity Home Care we are committed to making your budget go as far as possible – looking for low-cost and innovative options freeing up funds to spend on other services.

For subsidised care, an assessment will determine your eligibility for subsidies, outlining your budget and any contribution you may need to make. Where people can afford to pay for part of their care, you will be asked to contribute according to your ability. Where people cannot afford to pay at all, there are hardship measures in place.

Here is an explanation of some the costs that might apply to your home care package:

Home care packages fees are broken out into basic daily fees and income-tested care fees.

Basic daily fee
The basic daily fee is set by the government at a percentage of the single basic age pension. This fee varies depending on your Home Care Package level. The basic daily fee is added to the government subsidy to increase the funds available to you in your Home Care Package budget. At Carinity, we do not charge a basic daily care fee. Read more about Home Care Package costs and fees.

Income-tested care fee
You may need to contribute more towards the cost of your home care depending on your income. This fee is different for everyone, and an assessment will determine your ability to contribute to the cost of your care based on your income. Full pensioners do not pay an income-tested care fee.

If you receive a means tested Australian income support payment from Centrelink, such as the Age Pension or Disability Support Pension, or you receive a Service Pension or Income Support Supplement from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) you will not need a means tested income assessment.

You can use the My Aged fee estimator to get a better idea of the fees that may apply to your individual situation.

Rather than using Government-subsidised services, you might prefer to use self-funded care services, paying the full fee for service. Carinity Home Care offers fee-for-service home care. You don’t need an assessment to start receiving services. You choose what services you want to purchase and are responsible for paying the costs. Call Carinity Home Care on 1300 109 109 today to get get started.

Consumer Directed Care (CDC) is a way of delivering care that gives you choice and flexibility.

A CDC approach should give you:

• choices about the types of assistance you want and who will deliver the services and when
• control over decisions that relate to your life and your care
• information and knowledge so you can make more informed decisions.
• The Government has included CDC principles in Aged Care laws to ensure older people’s rights are protected.

Home Care Packages take a CDC approach, meaning that you:

• are encouraged to identify your goals which will be the basis of the care plan
• decide how much involvement you want to have in managing the package
• can choose the way services are delivered and by whom
• have an individualised budget and a monthly statement of income and expenditure
• can expect regular contact with your provider, and to change your supports if your needs or preferences change.