The letterbox was the tipping point. Col, 83, couldn't reach it without wading through knee-high grass and the wattle that had colonised the front path. He'd mowed that lawn for thirty years. Would the funding cover the yard, or was he on his own with the mower?
Col's story is an illustrative scenario, created to show how Support at Home works in practice. It is not a real client testimonial.
Gardening is on the Support at Home service list, which replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. The answer is a qualified yes, and the funding's purpose is where the "qualified" comes in.
Where gardening sits on the service list
Support at Home sorts everything into three categories. Gardening is home maintenance, an everyday living support, alongside domestic assistance and meal preparation.
What the funding is really aimed at
The important word is safe. Support at Home funds maintenance that keeps your home accessible, not a neat yard for its own sake. That means mowing so the grass isn't hiding hazards, trimming growth back from paths, windows and the front door, and clearing slippery leaves.
Where routine upkeep ends and major works begin
Routine upkeep that keeps the place safe and functional is the everyday case. Removing a large tree, landscaping a garden bed, building a retaining wall or laying a new path is generally beyond it, and gardening that's purely a hobby sits outside the funding too. The deciding factor is what your care plan says the work is for: safety and access, or pleasure and improvement.
Before you book any yard work, ask your provider "is this home maintenance in my plan, and does this job count as routine upkeep?" Routine questions get an instant answer from Partner with Care; borderline ones get a same-day answer.
Will you pay a contribution?
You might. Home maintenance is an everyday living support, and a participant contribution can apply. The amount depends on your means, such as whether you receive the Age Pension. Get your figure from My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 before the mower starts.
Self-managing means you choose the gardener
When you self-manage, funded gardening doesn't mean whoever a roster sends. You choose the person who works on your yard and can keep the same one season to season, while Partner with Care handles the claiming, compliance and paperwork as your registered provider. That's how self-managed care got Col his path to the letterbox back.