I want to know what St Louis can offer

Services under the new Support at Home

The Support at Home Program offers a wide range of services to help you live well at home. Essentially, if you need it to remain safe, healthy, and independent, it’s likely covered! Services are grouped into three main categories:

Clinical Support
Health care and clinical services to keep you well. These include:

• nursing care (wound care, medication management, continence support)
• allied health like physiotherapy, occupational therapy
• podiatry
• dietitian services
• mental health support
• care management (a Care Partner who helps plan and oversee your care).

These services are fully funded by the government, you do not pay for clinical care. St Louis has an excellent clinical team; our nurses and allied health professionals will ensure your medical and therapy needs are met at home.

Independence Support
Assistance with personal tasks and activities that help you maintain your independence and social life. These include:

• personal care (help with showering, dressing, grooming)
• mobility & transfer assistance (help moving safely around home)
• transport to appointments or outings
• social support (a companion to visit, or help you attend community events)
• respite care (giving family carers a break while we take care of you)
• exercise or wellness programs, and learning or hobby support.

These services focus on keeping you active and engaged in the community. Under the new program, independence services have a moderate co-contribution for some clients (e.g. part-pensioners may pay a small percentage), but full pensioners pay almost nothing (5%). Our caregivers are trained to promote your independence, we assist when needed but also encourage and enable you to do what you can, preserving your dignity and skills.

Everyday Living Support
Help with domestic tasks and day-to-day activities at home. These include:

• Domestic assistance (cleaning the house, laundry)
• gardening and home maintenance (mowing, minor home repairs, changing light bulbs)
• meal preparation or meal delivery, shopping (we can do grocery runs or assist you on a shopping trip)
• pet care (help feeding or walking a pet if you’re unable)
• assistive technology training (like how to use a personal alarm or an iPad to stay connected).

These are the kinds of tasks that become harder with age, and a bit of help can make a big difference. Everyday living services will have the highest co-contribution rates for those who can afford it (because these are things many people handle independently when younger). For example, self-funded retirees could pay up to 80% of the cost of a cleaning service, whereas a full pensioner pays 17.5% (and if you’re grandfathered, possibly 0%). The idea is a fair, means-tested contribution towards these day-to-day services. But importantly: no one is denied these services due to inability to pay, as mentioned, financial hardship provisions exist. St Louis Home Care’s domestic support staff and home helpers are friendly, trustworthy, and efficient, they’ll take care of these chores so you can conserve energy for the things you enjoy.

In addition to the above ongoing services, the Support at Home program includes short-term, targeted supports:

Restorative Care Pathway
A time-limited program (up to 12 weeks) of intensive allied health and reablement services. This is designed to help you recover or improve functionality after an illness or injury, or to prevent decline. For example, if you’ve had a hospital stay or a fall, a restorative care plan may include physiotherapy sessions, occupational therapy home visits to improve safety, exercise physiology, and nursing input, all aimed at getting you back on your feet. It comes with an extra budget (around $6k, and can be doubled to $12k if needed for more therapy), on top of your regular funding, and typically lasts a few months. St Louis offers this pathway via our clinical team. We’ve seen clients make great strides, increasing their mobility, confidence, and sometimes reducing their long-term care needs thanks to restorative support. If an assessor thinks you’d benefit from this, they’ll approve it as part of your plan; we can also request it if we notice you have a short-term need for more intensive rehab.

End-of-Life (Palliative) Care Pathway
This provides special support for older people in their last 3 months of life who wish to remain at home. It allocates an additional $25,000 budget for up to ~3 months to fund services like palliative nursing, personal care at increased frequency, emotional/spiritual support, equipment (hospital bed, oxygen, etc.), and respite for family caregivers. The aim is to ensure comfort, dignity, and that you have the choice to be at home, supported by professionals, in your final weeks. St Louis’s nurses and care staff are well-versed in palliative care, we consider it a privilege to support families during this time. If you ever need this pathway, we’ll coordinate closely with your GP and any palliative care specialists to provide holistic end-of-life care. Some of our staff have hospice backgrounds, and St Louis as an organisation has roots in nursing care, so you will be in compassionate hands.

Assistive Technology & Home Modifications (AT-HM) Scheme
This is a separate funding stream to supply equipment, assistive devices, or home modifications you may need. Examples include: a shower chair, walker, hearing amplifiers, personal alarm system, ramps or rails installed at home, minor bathroom modifications, pressure-relieving mattresses, etc. Instead of using your care budget to buy these (like under the old system, where you often had to save up package funds), the new program provides dedicated funding for AT and home mods. There are tiers of funding (low/medium/high cost) depending on what’s needed, an assessor will approve a tier for you if you have a certain need. Any unspent funds from your old HCP package, if applicable, will need to be used first for these purchases. For example, if you have $2,000 unspent, that could go toward installing a stair lift. St Louis will help facilitate getting the right equipment, we can source quotes from suppliers, arrange installation, and ensure you’re trained in using any device. Having the right assistive tech can greatly enhance safety and independence (think: a simple shower grab-rail can prevent a fall, or a mobility scooter can reopen the world for someone who can’t walk far).

Assistive Technology & Home Modifications (AT-HM) Loan Scheme
The AT-HM Loan Scheme is a new government initiative (starting 1 November 2025) that lets you borrow assistive equipment quickly when you need it, as part of the Support at Home program. This scheme is designed to get essential items – like walkers, grab rails or personal alarms – into your hands faster, without having to save up from your care budget. In short, if there’s a piece of equipment that will help you stay safe and independent at home, the AT-HM Loan Scheme helps you access it right away. Because the AT-HM Loan Scheme provides short-term loans of pre-approved equipment, you won’t be left waiting. As part of the aged care reforms, this national loan program was designed to provide faster access to assistive technologies such as walking frames, wheelchairs and other aids, with government funding of up to $15,000 to cover the costs. Items are supplied from a central pool so that once you’re approved, they can be delivered and installed at your home very quickly. This means if you suddenly need a walker for stability or a shower chair for safety, you can get it without delay – all set up and ready to use.