Choosing a Support at Home (SaH) provider affects the services you receive, how your budget is used and who visits your home. Before signing a service agreement, ask each provider about service prices, local availability, staffing and changing care needs. Clear written answers make it easier to compare providers and choose one that best suits your needs.
Key Takeaways
- Ask for the published price and inclusions for every service you expect to use.
- Confirm the provider has workers available in your suburb at suitable times.
- Ask how the provider manages continuity when a regular worker is unavailable.
- Check who will coordinate services and how to request a change.
- Compare written service schedules before signing an agreement.
Choosing an aged care provider means finding a service that suits your routines, preferences and support needs. If you are arranging care for a loved one, the same questions can help you find a provider that suits them.
Providers offer different services, local teams and areas of expertise. Asking a few practical questions helps you understand what each provider can offer and compare your options.
These five questions give you a useful starting point for conversations with providers. They cover the services available, how care is organised and what to expect once support begins.
If you are balancing care decisions for ageing parents alongside work or children, our Sandwich Generation Support guide brings together practical aged care, family and planning information.
1. What Does Each Service Price Cover?
Support at Home providers set their own prices for services. They must publish their prices, agree what they will charge you and include the amounts in your support at home service agreement.
Before discussing specific services, ask the provider for their current price schedule. It should show the available services, the price for each one and what is included.
Compare like with like. A lower hourly price may not be useful if it applies to a different service, a shorter visit or a worker with different qualifications.
Check:
- The service type and description
- The price for the same service at different times, where relevant
- The minimum visit length
- Whether the service is delivered by a support worker, nurse or allied health professional
- What the provider says is included in the listed price
Also ask how the provider records and invoices delivered services. You should be able to see which services were provided, when they were provided and how they were charged to your budget.
For a national benchmark, you can compare provider prices through My Aged Care or see our Support at Home price list, which explains typical rates by service type and why prices differ between providers.
For a broader explanation of fees, funding and out-of-pocket costs, see our Aged Care Funding Guide.
2. Can You Deliver These Services in My Area and at Suitable Times?
A provider may serve your area but have no workers available in your suburb at the times you need. Confirm local capacity before signing. A broad statement that the provider covers your region is not the same as confirmed availability.
Be specific about the support needed. Morning personal care, transport to appointments and weekly domestic assistance need different roster arrangements.
Ask whether the provider can offer a regular visit time or only a broad arrival window. A scheduled morning visit may matter if support relates to getting dressed, preparing breakfast or attending an appointment.
Find out what happens if capacity changes after services begin. The provider should explain who contacts you and how they arrange an alternative worker.
Need help finding providers with availability in your area? Aged Care Decisions provides a free Options Report that compares suitable providers based on your location, care needs and preferences.
3. Who Will Deliver the Care and How Is Continuity Managed?
The person providing care matters as much as the service description. Ask whether workers are employed directly by the provider, engaged through another organisation or drawn from a mix of arrangements. Whatever the model, the provider should be able to explain its worker screening, training, supervision and continuity arrangements clearly.
Consistency matters most for personal care, dementia support or any service built around an established routine. Check whether the provider aims to roster a small, consistent group of workers rather than sending whoever is available.
Ask what happens when a regular worker is unavailable. The provider should explain who contacts you, how quickly, and how it selects a replacement familiar with your care notes.
If you need nursing or allied health services, confirm qualifications and clinical oversight. The provider should explain who assesses the need, delivers the service and reviews the care plan.
4. What Will the Service Agreement Include?
Your Support at Home service agreement is a written contract between you and the provider. It should set out the services you will receive, the agreed prices, your responsibilities and the arrangements for changing or ending services.
If someone else is helping you manage your care, ask the provider how it records permission for them to receive information or discuss services on your behalf. The provider will need a registered supporter arrangement on file before they can share personal information with a third party.
Read the agreement alongside the service schedule. Do not rely on verbal descriptions if the written schedule says something different.
The agreement should also identify your main contact and explain how to raise concerns, request a service change or move to another provider.
5. How Will You Respond if Services or Care Needs Change?
Aged care arrangements can change after a hospital stay, a fall, a new diagnosis or a shift in daily routines. Ask the provider how they review services and what they can do when more support is needed.
Note that a provider cannot create extra government funding on its own. If your needs increase significantly, they should explain when a formal reassessment through My Aged Care may be appropriate.
Find out whether your care coordinator holds regular check-ins. Reviews help ensure services remain relevant and your budget is used for agreed support. See Support Plan Reviews: When to Request One if you think a formal review is due.
Also check how the provider handles feedback and complaints. A clear process gives you a starting point if a visit is missed, a worker is unsuitable or services are not delivered as agreed.
How Our Free Service Helps
Aged Care Decisions is a free, independent aged care comparison and placement service. We help older Australians, spouses and families compare providers based on their circumstances.
- Tell us what you need and we do the legwork:
- Your care needs, location, budget and preferences, matched to suitable providers
- Current availability checked before you waste time on a provider with no capacity
- A free Options Report so you can compare choices side by side
- Support making contact with providers when you are ready
There is no cost or obligation. Request your free Options Report to see suitable providers in your area.
What to Do Next
- List the services needed now and services that may be needed soon.
- Note your suburb and preferred visit days and times.
- Request a free Options Report from Aged Care Decisions.
- Ask at least two providers the same five questions.
- Request the current service schedule and agreement from each provider.
- Compare the written answers, not only the initial conversation.
Here’s how Aged Care Decisions’ FREE aged care matching service works:
How do I compare prices between providers?
Ask each provider for their current price schedule and compare the same service, time and worker type across all of them. A lower headline rate can be misleading if it applies to a shorter visit or a different qualification level.
An Options Report from Aged Care Decisions puts this comparison in one place, using prices matched to your specific care needs and location.
What if a provider can't guarantee availability in my suburb?
Ask when they expect capacity to open up, and whether they can start with a reduced schedule in the meantime. Some providers will place you on a waitlist while covering urgent needs through a partner service.
If no realistic timeframe is offered, it’s reasonable to keep comparing other providers rather than wait indefinitely.
What if a provider can't guarantee the same worker each visit?
Ask what continuity measures they do have, such as a small, rostered team rather than a single fixed worker. Full continuity isn’t always possible, particularly in regional areas, but the provider should be able to explain how it minimises disruption.
If continuity matters most for personal care or dementia support, say so directly and ask how the provider accommodates that need.
What is a registered supporter and do I need one?
A registered supporter is someone you nominate to help manage your aged care on your behalf, including receiving information and discussing services with your provider.
You don’t need one to receive care, but if a family member is helping you, the provider will need this arrangement on file before they can share your personal information.
Is an aged care service agreement a legally binding contract?
Yes. A service agreement is a formal contract outlining the services you will receive, agreed prices, your rights and cancellation terms.
Review all terms carefully and request the price schedule before signing.
