If you currently receive aged care services under a Home Care Package, you should’ve by now received a letter from the Department of Health and Aged Care about the upcoming changes to the way in-home aged care will be provided.
Put simply, the Home Care Package program will end on 30 June 2025 and on 1 July 2025, you will automatically transition to the new Support at Home program.
Supporting people to age well and enjoy life from the comfort of their home and community is at the heart of what we do and if you’re a Centacare Home Care Package client, rest assured that come 1 July 2025, we’ll continue to support you with the right mix of services for your needs and budget. In the coming weeks, we’ll contact you to review your care plan, discuss new pricing and prepare a new service agreement.
In the interim, for everyone for whom aged care is important, we want to ensure you’re fully informed about your rights under the new Aged Care Act.
A new rights-based Aged Care Act
On 1 July 2025 a new Aged Care Act will commence. The new Act will put the rights of older people first and includes a Statement of Rights for people accessing aged care services.
The Statement of Rights makes sure older people can:
What is supported decision making?
Everyone has the right to make their own decisions about their life, including their aged care. Under the new Act, you can choose to have a registered supporter to help you make and communicate decisions about your aged care. This is a person (or people) of your choosing – it may be a trusted family member or friend for example. Please note that a registered supporter is not given decision-making authority for you – their role is to help you make your own decisions. Having a registered supporter does not prevent you from doing something you can do yourself – you can continue to request, receive and communicate information and make decisions.
Alternatively, you might feel you are already supported by your carers and other significant people in your life and don’t need a registered supporter. These people can continue to play an important role in supporting you.
Review your existing relationships in My Aged Care
To get ready for the new registered supporter role, you might like to review your existing relationships in My Aged Care. You may currently have people registered to support or act for you called regular representatives and authorised representatives. If you have a regular or authorised representative active in My Aged Care on 30 June, these people will be known as registered supporters under the new Act. This ensures that you will continue to receive decision-making support.
How to opt out of having a registered supporter
You can opt out of having a registered supporter at any time between now and 30 June:
Your regular representative/s or authorised representative/s can also opt out of being a registered supporter between now and 30 June.
Next steps
For more details about the Support at Home Program, visit our Support at Home page or download a copy of the Australian Government’s Support at Home booklet.
If you have a Home Care Package assigned to you and would like to talk to us about Support at Home, please give us a call. We take our promise that Care is our Calling seriously and our team is committed to ensuring you have all the support you need to live your fullest life, from the home and community you love.