Maureen managed on her own for a long time. At 81, it wasn't the housework that got to her, it was the shower. Standing on wet tiles, reaching for the shampoo, doing up buttons afterwards with hands that no longer cooperated. She'd never wanted a stranger seeing her like that.

Maureen's story is an illustrative scenario, created to show how Support at Home works in practice. It is not a real client testimonial.

Personal care is among the most commonly funded services on the Support at Home service list, which replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. What matters is how it works and who does it.

Where personal care sits on the service list

Support at Home organises everything into three categories. Personal care sits in independence supports: help with showering, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and moving safely around the home. The name matters: this funding protects your independence rather than replacing it.

What "personal care" includes

Personal care is a set of small tasks that keep a day on track: help stepping in and out of the shower, a hand with buttons, zips and shoelaces, help with hair, shaving or moisturiser, support with continence needs, someone to steady you on the way to the bathroom overnight. Your care plan sets out which tasks are funded.

Dignity and choosing your own worker

Personal care is close work. Someone is in the bathroom with you, helping with a body that's changed, which is why "who does it?" matters as much as "is it funded?". Maureen ended up with the same support worker each visit, someone she came to trust.

Before you start any personal care, ask your provider "is this in my plan, and can I choose who provides it?" Routine questions get an instant answer from Partner with Care; trickier ones get a same-day answer.

Will you pay a contribution?

Clinical care like nursing is fully government funded, but personal care is an independence support, and a participant contribution can apply. The amount depends on your means, for instance whether you receive the Age Pension. Get your exact rate from My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

Self-managing keeps the choice yours

Some people worry that funded personal care means losing control of something deeply private. Self-managing is the opposite: Partner with Care handles the claiming, compliance and paperwork as your registered provider, and you choose the worker, the days and the routine. Self-managed care is how Maureen kept her mornings her own.