Guides
Aged care rules changed more in the last year than in the previous twenty. These guides keep it plain, current and dated, so you know exactly when each figure was last verified.
Support at Home, explained
What replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025, the 8 classifications, and what you will actually pay.
Switching home care providers
Your budget follows you and exit fees are banned. How to switch without losing services, step by step.
Star Ratings, explained honestly
What the official ratings measure, what they miss, and how to use them without being misled.
The waitlist, and how to use the wait
Around 235,000 older Australians are in the queue. What the wait really looks like and what to do at each stage.
How much does aged care cost?
Home care and residential care costs pulled apart in plain English, with the fees, the caps and the protections that limit what you pay.
Where most families get stuck
Aged care in Australia changed more between 2025 and 2026 than in the previous twenty years. Home Care Packages became Support at Home on 1 November 2025, contribution rules were rewritten, and lifetime caps were reset. A great deal of the advice still circulating online describes a system that no longer exists, which is why every figure in these guides carries the date it was last verified against government sources.
The three questions that stall families most often are what care actually costs, how long the wait really is, and whether a home is any good. The guides above cover each of those. If you would rather see real options for your own area than read, ask us for a free shortlist instead.
Common questions
What is the first thing I should do?
Apply for an assessment through My Aged Care (myagedcare.gov.au or 1800 200 422). Nothing is government funded until that assessment is done and the queue moves slowly, so applying early is the single most valuable thing you can do this week, even if you are not ready to decide anything else.
What replaced Home Care Packages?
Support at Home, from 1 November 2025. It uses eight funding classifications instead of four package levels, caps care management fees, and splits your contribution by service type: clinical care is fully funded, while independence and everyday living services carry a contribution set by your income and assets.
Is aged care advice online usually current?
Often not. Rates are indexed regularly and the program itself changed in late 2025, so undated advice is a genuine hazard in this area. Check that any figure you rely on carries a date, and confirm anything financial with Services Australia or a licensed adviser.
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