Anjali, 47, has known for months that her mum needs help. Kamala, 78, has slowed down since her hip surgery: the cooking she once loved now exhausts her, and the garden in Logan has gone quiet. Searching "how do I get my mum assessed for aged care?" returned a wall of jargon. Can she start the process for her mum?

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

The assessment is the front door to all government-funded home care in Australia.

Step 1: Register with My Aged Care

Everything starts at My Aged Care: online at myagedcare.gov.au, or by phone on 1800 200 422. Answer the initial questions, explain what's changed, and request an assessment. Have your mum's Medicare card handy.

Since the reforms of 1 November 2025, a Single Assessment System works out what level of support your parent needs, replacing different assessments for different programs.

Step 2: Prepare, and be honest about the bad days

Don't let your parent perform wellness. Many older people greet the assessor freshly dressed, tea made, insisting they're fine.

Jot down together:

  • What's become hard or stopped: cooking, showering, shopping, driving, the garden
  • Any falls, near-misses or health changes, even "minor" ones
  • What family and neighbours are doing to fill the gaps
  • Medications, diagnoses and the GP's details

Step 3: Consent, and being in the room

With her agreement, you can be there. A gentle "Mum, tell them about last Tuesday" can make the difference between an accurate picture and a polite fiction.

The assessor isn't judging whether your mum is coping. They're building the case for the support she's entitled to. Underselling doesn't protect her pride; it shrinks her funding.

Step 4: After approval

Once approved, your mum receives a funding classification, one of eight levels under Support at Home, each with a quarterly budget. Then comes the choice of provider, and whether the care is traditionally managed or self-managed. Our for families page explains self-management day to day.

If needs change later (a fall, a diagnosis, a slow decline), go back to My Aged Care (1800 200 422) and request a reassessment. For help with an approval letter, give us a call.