Can a person with dementia receive Support at Home?
Family, Memory & Difficult Conversations
Dementia at Home
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In short...
Yes. A person with dementia can receive Support at Home when assessed as eligible.
The details...
Can a person with dementia receive Support at Home?
Yes. A person living with dementia can receive Support at Home if an aged care assessment finds that they need assistance to remain safe and independent at home.
Eligibility is not based only on having a dementia diagnosis. The assessor considers how the condition affects the person’s everyday life, including:
memory and decision-making
personal care
preparing and eating meals
taking medication safely
mobility and falls risk
household tasks
communication
social participation
behaviour, distress or confusion
the amount of support being provided by family or carers.
If approved, the person’s Notice of Decision and support plan will identify their assessed needs and the types of services they can receive. Services delivered by the provider must align with that approved support plan.
Support may include:
help with showering, dressing and grooming
medication assistance or nursing
meal preparation
domestic assistance
transport to appointments or activities
social support and accompanied outings
respite to give a family carer a break
physiotherapy, occupational therapy or other allied health services
assistive technology
home modifications
support to establish safer routines at home.
The care plan should be tailored to the person’s abilities, routines, preferences and goals. Good dementia support should help the person continue doing as much as they safely can rather than automatically taking over every task.
Can family be involved?
Yes. With the person’s consent, a family member, carer or appointed representative can help during the assessment, speak with providers and assist with care planning.
This can be particularly useful when the person has difficulty remembering:
recent falls or incidents
medication problems
changes in eating or personal care
unsafe situations at home
how much unpaid assistance family members are providing.
The person living with dementia should still be included in decisions and supported to express their own preferences wherever possible.
Does dementia automatically provide extra funding?
No. A dementia diagnosis does not automatically lead to a particular Support at Home funding classification.
Funding is based on the person’s assessed needs, level of function, risks and required services. Two people with the same diagnosis may therefore receive different support plans.
The former dementia and cognition supplement generally continues only for participants who transferred from the Home Care Packages Program and were receiving, or eligible to receive, that supplement on 31 October 2025. It is not listed as a new primary supplement for people entering Support at Home after that date.
Will the person have to contribute to the cost?
It depends on the type of service and the person’s financial circumstances.
Clinical supports, such as nursing and physiotherapy, are fully government funded with no participant contribution.
Independence services, such as respite, transport and currently personal care, may require a moderate contribution.
Everyday living services, such as domestic assistance and gardening, attract the highest contribution.
From 1 October 2026, approved personal care will move into the clinical supports category and will be fully government funded.
What should I ask a provider?
When comparing providers, ask:
Do you have workers with dementia-specific training and experience?
Can you provide the same worker consistently?
How do you introduce a new worker to someone who may be anxious or confused?
What happens if the regular worker is unavailable?
How do workers respond to distress, resistance or changes in behaviour?
Will you follow the person’s normal routines and communication preferences?
How will family carers be kept informed?
Can services be increased or changed if the person’s needs progress?
Do you provide respite and after-hours support?
How do you manage medication, falls and other safety risks?
Continuity matters. A person with dementia may find frequent changes of worker, rushed visits or unpredictable schedules particularly difficult.
If the person’s condition or care needs change, the provider can request a Support Plan Review so an aged care assessor can consider whether different services or a higher level of ongoing support is required.
What should I do next?
Choose one practical concern and discuss it without labelling the person as incapable.
Involve a trusted GP, family member or advocate where this may help.
Document formal representative or decision-making authority only where it is actually required.
Helpful Local Home Help resources
Check the official guidance
Check representative and rights information. Aged care rules, funding amounts and program guidance can change, so check the current official information before making an important care or financial decision.
Takeaways
- Yes. A person with dementia can receive Support at Home when assessed as eligible.
- The older person's choices and decision-making rights remain central.
- Small, respectful steps often work better than forcing a complete care arrangement.
About Local Home Help
How Providers Are Listed
How providers appear on Local Home Help Local Home Help helps families discover home support services available in their area. Providers may appear on the site in a few different ways. Some providers create and manage their own listing on the platform. Others may appear based on publicly available information about services operating in a particular region. This helps families see a broader view of support options available locally. Where possible, we encourage providers to claim and manage their listing so information such as services offered, contact details and service areas remain accurate and up to date. There are no paid or enhanced listings on Local Home Help, and there never will be. Claiming or managing a listing has no effect on a provider's visibility, ranking, or how often it appears in a consumer's personalised shortlist, it simply keeps the information families see accurate and current. Local Home Help does not charge consumers to access the platform. We may generate revenue in other ways in the future, but none of these will ever influence which providers a consumer sees, how they're ranked, or what appears in their shortlist. Provider visibility is, and will remain, based solely on relevance to each family's stated needs. What does not influence Liz There are no paid or enhanced listings on Local Home Help, not now, and not in the future. No provider can pay for a higher position in Liz results, a better ranking, or inclusion in a consumer's shortlist. This is a permanent commitment, not a current-state description. Claiming or updating a profile does not improve a provider's ranking. It gives Liz more accurate information about the provider's services, coverage and care model, which can make the explanation of why a provider matched clearer, but it has no effect on whether or how highly that provider appears. Local Home Help intends to generate revenue in other ways in the future - for example through tools built for providers, or products separate from the consumer matching experience. None of these will influence which providers appear in Liz's results, how they're ranked, or what a consumer sees in their personalised shortlist. Visibility and ranking are based solely on the fit factors described above, and nothing else. This reflects the platform's core ethos: Local Home Help is built consumer-first. Every design and revenue decision is made so that what a family sees from Liz is the most relevant outcome for them. Never the most profitable outcome for Local Home Help or a provider.
Independence Statement
Our independence Local Home Help is designed to help families navigate the often confusing world of home support and aged care services. The platform aims to present information in a clear and balanced way so families can better understand the types of help available and where to find it. While providers may appear on the platform, Local Home Help does not recommend one provider over another. The decision about which service may be suitable will always depend on individual circumstances. Families are encouraged to contact providers directly, ask questions and make their own enquiries before making a decision. Our focus is to make the process of understanding and finding support at home easier. Local Home Help does not accept payment of any kind in exchange for provider visibility, ranking, or shortlist placement, and never will. Any future revenue Local Home Help generates will come from sources entirely separate from how providers are matched to consumers.
Quality Signals
What to look for when choosing a provider Finding the right support service can take time. When considering a provider, families may wish to look for signs of quality such as: Clear information about services offered Transparent pricing or funding options Experience supporting older people at home Relevant professional qualifications where appropriate Positive feedback or reputation in the community Willingness to answer questions about care and services It is often helpful to speak with more than one provider before making a decision. Local Home Help aims to provide a starting point for exploring services, but the best choice will depend on the needs and preferences of the individual receiving support.
About the Author
Local Home Help Editorial Team
This article was created by Local Home Help to help Australian families better understand aged care and home support options in plain English.
Our content is based on publicly available information from:
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My Aged Care
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Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
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Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
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Provider pricing schedules and operational experience within the aged care sector.
Local Home Help is an independent consumer information platform and does not provide medical, legal or financial advice.
Important information
Aged care rules, fees, eligibility requirements and program arrangements can change. The information on this page is general guidance only and may not apply to every person or situation.
Before making a financial, legal or care decision, check the latest information with My Aged Care, Services Australia, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, or another appropriate official source.
Local Home Help does not provide legal, financial, medical or clinical advice.
Source data
Last reviewed
20/7/26, 9:08 pm