What is Support at Home?
Support at Home is the Australian Government's in-home aged care program. It replaced Home Care Packages (HCP) and the Short-Term Restorative Care programme on 1 November 2025. If you were already receiving a Home Care Package, you were transitioned automatically — no reassessment or paperwork needed on your part.
Instead of the old four HCP levels, Support at Home uses 8 classification levels with quarterly budgets (rather than one annual amount), assigned based on your assessed care needs. Your funding is grouped into service categories and which category a service falls under determines whether you pay anything towards it.
The big change that matters for exercise physiology: allied health services — including exercise physiology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy — sit under the Clinical Supports category. Clinical Supports are fully funded by the government with no participant contribution, regardless of your income or assets. That's different to some other Support at Home categories (like everyday living services), which do attract a contribution based on a means test.
Can Support at Home pay for exercise physiology?
Yes — and because it's a Clinical Support, there's no out-of-pocket cost to you when it's included in your support plan. Support at Home can fund:
- Exercise physiology sessions — one-on-one supervised exercise sessions with an accredited exercise physiologist (AEP) at your home, gym, outdoor space or hydrotherapy pool
- Falls prevention programs — structured balance and strength programs to reduce falls risk, a leading cause of hospitalisation in older Australians
- Hydrotherapy — aquatic exercise supervised by an AEP, particularly beneficial for arthritis, chronic pain and limited mobility. Where a gym or pool entry fee applies, this can be included in the provider's price; ongoing memberships are not funded
- Functional assessments — assessments of your physical capacity that inform your support plan
How to access exercise physiology through Support at Home
- Speak with your provider or care partner — let them know you'd like exercise physiology included in your support plan. As a Clinical Support, it doesn't compete with your everyday living or independence budget the way it used to under HCP.
- Your provider approves the service — most providers approve allied health services readily, particularly falls prevention and exercise programs, since they support the program's core goal of keeping people safely at home.
- Contact Exercare — call us on 0413 827 232 or complete our aged care intake form. We'll liaise with your provider directly to arrange billing and scheduling.
- Sessions begin — your exercise physiologist visits you at home or your preferred location at a time that suits you.
Exercare works directly with Support at Home providers. We handle all the paperwork and invoicing — you don't need to manage this yourself. Just let your provider or care partner know you'd like to see an exercise physiologist through Exercare and we'll take it from there.
Support at Home exercise physiology across south-east Melbourne
Exercare provides mobile exercise physiology for Support at Home clients across south-east Melbourne, with no out-of-pocket cost. We come to you — at home, gym or hydrotherapy pool. Complete our aged care intake form to get started.
What if I was already on a Home Care Package?
If you were receiving a Home Care Package, on the national waiting list or assessed as eligible before 12 September 2024, you're considered a "grandfathered" client — you keep the more favourable contribution rules from the old HCP system under a "no worse off" principle. Either way, exercise physiology remains fully funded as a Clinical Support, so this mainly affects other service categories, not EP.
What about the care management fee?
Support at Home caps the care management fee at 10% of your quarterly budget — a significant reduction from the old Home Care Package system, where fees could reach 30–40%. This fee is deducted before the remaining budget is available for other services. Because exercise physiology sits under Clinical Supports rather than your general budget, it isn't affected by how much of your quarterly budget the management fee has already used.
What conditions benefit most from exercise physiology under Support at Home?
- Falls risk and balance impairment
- Osteoarthritis of the hips, knees or spine
- Osteoporosis and fracture prevention
- Parkinson's disease
- Post-stroke rehabilitation and maintenance
- Heart failure and cardiovascular conditions
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Type 2 diabetes management
- General deconditioning and reduced mobility from ageing
Frequently asked questions
Does my provider have to use Exercare specifically?
No — you can choose your preferred exercise physiology provider. If your current provider suggests using their in-house or contracted EP, you can decline and choose Exercare instead.
Will I have to pay anything for exercise physiology?
No. As a Clinical Support under Support at Home, exercise physiology is fully government-funded with no participant contribution, regardless of your income or assets.
Can I use Support at Home for both exercise physiology and OT?
Exercare provides exercise physiology for Support at Home clients now. Our occupational therapists also see Support at Home clients, including home safety assessments and equipment and home modification prescriptions under the AT-HM scheme. More about Support at Home OT.
This article was written by the Exercare team. Exercare provides mobile exercise physiology for Support at Home clients across south-east Melbourne. Complete our aged care intake form to get started →