AT-HM funding is separate from the ongoing Support at Home quarterly budget.
Safety & independence
Government help with home modifications and equipment
If changes to your home or equipment would make daily life safer or easier, the Support at Home Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme may help when the need is assessed and approved.
Practical guidanceUnderstand the options before making the decision.
At a glance
What to know first
An aged care assessment can approve assistive technology, home modifications or both.
Home modifications must be linked to assessed needs and prescribed appropriately.
The practical detail
Work through the part that matters to you.
What can be included
Government examples include mobility equipment, walking frames, wheelchairs, handrails, ramps, stair lifts, bathroom redesign and widening doorways or passages.
The need must be assessed
AT-HM is not a general renovation fund. Items and modifications need to address assessed functional or clinical needs and be included in the approved support plan.
Home modifications require professional input
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing states that home modifications must be prescribed by an occupational therapist working within their professional scope.
Funding and timing can be separate from ongoing care
AT-HM uses separate funding tiers and priority systems. A person may receive AT-HM funding at a different time from their ongoing Support at Home funding.
Check the current rules
Official sources used for this guide.
Government rules and thresholds can change. These links take you to the source material used to prepare this page.
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme
Check the current government information before relying on eligibility, rates or rules.
Open official source →My Aged CareAssistive technology and home modifications
Check the current government information before relying on eligibility, rates or rules.
Open official source →Related Later Life guides
Keep going only where it is useful.
Care & support
What help can I get to stay living at home?
Government-funded support can help with personal care, cleaning, nursing, allied health, transport, equipment, home modifications and other assessed needs.
Read guide →Home & housingStaying at home or downsizing: what should I think about?
There is no automatic point at which a person should downsize. The useful question is whether the home still supports the life you want, the costs you can sustain and the help you may need later.
Read guide →When general information is not enough
Talk it through with Liz.
Liz can help connect the general rules to the care and support questions in your own situation. For legal, tax or financial decisions, she will point you back to the appropriate professional or government source.