Can a person receive dedicated end-of-life care within Support at Home
Specialised Care: Dementia, Respite & Palliative
Palliative & End-of-Life Care
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In short...
Yes. The End-of-Life Pathway provides around $25,000 of additional home-based care for eligible people expected to have three months or less to live. It can fund nursing, personal care and practical support, but it normally needs to be combined with specialist palliative care and family or other support rather than functioning as a complete 24-hour care service.
The details...
Can a person receive dedicated end-of-life care through Support at Home?
Yes. Support at Home has a dedicated End-of-Life Pathway for eligible older people who want to remain at home during the final stage of life.
The pathway provides additional short-term funding for home-based aged care. It is intended to work alongside the person’s GP, specialist palliative care team and state or territory health services—not replace them.
Who is eligible?
A person must meet all of the following criteria:
be aged 65 or older
or be aged 50 or older if they are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, homeless or at risk of homelessness
have a doctor or nurse practitioner estimate that they have three months or less to live
score 40 or below on the Australian-modified Karnofsky Performance Status, which measures how much assistance the person needs with everyday activities.
The doctor or nurse practitioner records this information on the End-of-Life Pathway form.
How much funding is available?
The pathway provides approximately $25,000 over 12 weeks.
If money remains after 12 weeks, it can continue to be used for up to 16 weeks. Unused pathway funding cannot be carried over beyond the approved funding period.
The government has announced that a second round of funding will become available from early 2027 for eligible people who live beyond the initial period. That change is not yet operating as at July 2026.
What services can it fund?
The services must be approved in the person’s Notice of Decision and support plan.
Depending on assessed needs, funding may be used for:
nursing care
personal care
help with showering, dressing and toileting
medication support
meal preparation
domestic assistance
respite
transport
social and emotional support
some assistive technology
care management and coordination.
The pathway can provide low- or medium-tier assistive technology where approved, but it does not provide funding for home modifications.
Does it provide 24-hour nursing?
No. The pathway does not automatically provide a nurse or care worker in the home around the clock.
The $25,000 budget may fund substantial additional support, but continuous 24-hour staffing would usually cost far more.
A realistic end-of-life arrangement may combine:
scheduled Support at Home nursing and personal care
state-funded community palliative care
the person’s GP
hospital outreach services
family or unpaid carers
privately funded support
equipment and medication supplied through health services.
The care partner should coordinate these services so responsibilities are clear and gaps are avoided. The government specifically notes that people using the pathway will likely also need specialist palliative care services.
Will the person need to contribute?
Approved clinical supports, including nursing, have no participant contribution.
Contributions may still apply to independence and everyday-living services, based on the person’s income and assets assessment. As at July 2026, personal care is still treated as an independence service; from 1 October 2026, approved personal care will become fully government funded.
How does someone apply?
A person does not need to already receive Support at Home.
For an existing Support at Home participant:
Ask a doctor or nurse practitioner to complete the End-of-Life Pathway form.
Give the form to the provider.
Ask the care partner to request an urgent Support Plan Review.
An aged care assessor confirms eligibility.
The person receives a new Notice of Decision and support plan.
The provider and care partner organise the services.
For someone not currently receiving Support at Home:
Ask a doctor or nurse practitioner to complete the form.
Request a high-priority assessment through My Aged Care.
Complete the aged care assessment.
Choose a provider after approval.
Enter into a service agreement and begin services.
My Aged Care can be contacted on 1800 200 422.
What should the care partner do?
The care partner should:
develop the end-of-life care plan with the person and family
coordinate with the GP and palliative care team
arrange workers and services
explain prices and contributions
organise equipment where approved
monitor the budget
respond quickly as needs change
ensure family members know who to contact after hours
help arrange another pathway or ongoing funding if the person lives beyond the approved period.
Changing provider while applying for the pathway is possible, but the government advises that it may delay access.
Practical example
A person with advanced cancer wants to remain at home and is assessed as having fewer than three months to live.
Their End-of-Life Pathway plan might combine:
community palliative care nurses managing symptoms and medication
Support at Home workers providing personal care twice daily
additional meal preparation and domestic assistance
respite for the person’s spouse
equipment to make transfers and personal care safer
care-partner coordination between the family, GP and clinical team.
What should I do next?
Confirm the details with My Aged Care or the relevant provider, write down your questions and ask for important information in writing before making a decision.
Helpful Local Home Help resources
Takeaways
- Ask for details in writing and compare more than one option where possible.
- Individual eligibility, availability and outcomes can vary.
- Ask questions early and seek independent help if anything feels unclear or unsafe.
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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.
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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
https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/residential-aged-care/charging/fee-and-accommodation-arrangements
Last reviewed
20/7/26, 9:08 pm