Using Support at Home Funding for an Occupational Therapy Home Assessment

What an OT home assessment covers

• How you manage showering, dressing, toileting, meals and getting around the home
• Falls risks such as steps, rugs, lighting, clutter and slippery surfaces
• Whether equipment would help, such as rails, shower chairs, raised toilet seats or a better bed or chair
• Whether small or larger home modifications would make daily life easier
• Energy-saving ways to do tasks, and strategies for memory or vision changes
• Advice for carers and family on how to support you

How Support at Home funding works

Support at Home is the Australian Government program that replaced the older home care packages and short-term support. After an assessment through My Aged Care, you are approved for a classification and a budget, and services are drawn from that budget. Allied health, including occupational therapy, is one of the service types that can be included. Your care partner or the My Aged Care contact centre can confirm what your approval covers, and how much of your budget is available for allied health.

Steps to get an OT visit

1. Check your approval. Confirm you have been assessed and approved for Support at Home, and what budget is available.
2. Choose your provider. You can choose an OT who works with Support at Home clients. Exercare's occupational therapists visit across Melbourne.
3. Agree the service. We explain what the visit involves, how it is billed and how to cancel in a service agreement.
4. Have the visit. The OT assesses, recommends and writes up the findings.
5. Act on the advice. This may include arranging equipment, simple changes or a referral for larger modifications.

Why an OT visit is worth it

Many falls and hospital stays begin with small things that can be fixed, such as a bathroom without a rail or a chair that is too low. An OT looks at the whole picture and recommends changes that fit your life and your budget. Our home safety checklist and home modifications guide are good places to start.

Where we visit

Our occupational therapists visit homes across Melbourne, including Templestowe, Lower Templestowe, Doncaster and Bulleen. See occupational therapy across the City of Manningham or the pages for Templestowe and Lower Templestowe.

Read more

See our service page on Support at Home occupational therapy for what we offer, or call to talk through your situation. If you are under 65, the NDIS may be the right pathway instead. Under the NDIS, occupational therapy is usually funded from Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living Skills (Category 15). Equipment is funded from Capital – Assistive Technology (Category 05) and home modifications from Capital – Home Modifications (Category 06). Self-funded OT is limited to functional capacity assessments for people applying for the NDIS.

Evidence referenced in this article

• My Aged Care.
• Occupational Therapy Australia.

Written by the Exercare allied health team. This article is general information only and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. Exercare provides mobile exercise physiology and NDIS occupational therapy across south-east and eastern Melbourne.

Frequently asked questions