Support at Home Services From a Local, Family-Run Team
Safe, reliable and flexible aged care services, so you can live independently and comfortably at home.
Support at Home Services You Can Trust
More Than 35 Years of Experience, in Melbourne and NSW
Why Choose Esse Care?
Trusted Care Built on 35 Years of Experience
With over three decades of providing quality care, Esse Care has grown from a family-run business into a trusted, second-generation provider. Our long-standing commitment to honesty and reliability ensures that we deliver the support we promise, tailoring services to meet the evolving needs of our clients.
Multicultural, Inclusive, and Diverse Team
At Esse Care, diversity is our strength. Our team of case managers, support workers, and clients come from various cultural backgrounds, creating an inclusive environment. We welcome all cultures and offer services in multiple languages, ensuring clients feel comfortable and understood at every step of their care journey.
Honest, Transparent, and Ethical Care
We prioritise open communication and ethical service delivery. We never overpromise or mismanage client funding. Instead, we focus on providing services that meet genuine needs, ensuring clients are always informed and supported. Our feedback-driven approach ensures continuous improvement and high standards in every aspect of care.
Support at Home Services Made to Fit You
With Support at Home, your funding can cover a wide range of approved services that keep you safe, independent and well at home. Services are sorted into three groups. The group matters because it decides how a service is paid for, and whether you may be asked to contribute to the cost (called a participant contribution).
Everyday Living Services | Independence Services | Clinical Services |
|---|---|---|
Cleaning and Laundry | Personal Care | Nursing Care |
Shopping Assistance | Social and Cultural Support | Nursing Care Consumables (such as Continence Aids, Bandages) |
Light Gardening | Accompanied Activities and Community Access | Prescribed Nutrition Consumables |
Minor Home Maintenance and Repairs | Respite Care | Physiotherapy |
Meal Preparation | Direct Transport (worker and car driving you) | Occupational Therapy |
Meal Delivery (such as Lite n’ Easy) | Indirect transport (Taxi and Ubers) | Podiatry |
Remedial Massage | Speech Pathology | |
Chiropractic | Psychology | |
Acupuncture | Dietetics or Nutrition | |
Diversional Therapy | Counselling/Psychotherapy | |
Art Therapy | Exercise Physiology | |
Osteopathy | Social Work | |
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications | Music Therapy |
How to Get Started With Support at Home Services
Whether you are applying for aged care funding for the first time, choosing a new provider or thinking about changing, it helps to understand your options. We can guide you through each step and help you arrange the right services, at a pace that suits you.
Meet Our Team: a Free, No-Obligation Meet and Greet
Choosing a Support at Home provider is a big decision for you and your family. You will want to know what services are available, who will care for you, what it will cost, how quickly the team responds, and what happens when your needs change.
Esse Care offers a free meet and greet with no obligation. We take the time to get to know you, your goals and the support you have been approved for. We then explain our services, our pricing and how we would manage your care, so you can decide whether we are the right fit before you commit to anything.
Changing Support at Home Provider Is Easier Than You Think
If your provider is no longer meeting your needs, you are not locked in. You can choose another provider at any time, and your current provider cannot charge you a fee just for leaving.
We can help you move by:
- Checking your current service agreement and notice period
- Understanding the services and care you receive now
- Helping you organise the move from your current provider
- Setting up your new service agreement, care plan and schedule
- Planning your start date so there are no gaps in your support
Register With My Aged Care and Have Your Assessment
If you have not yet been approved for Support at Home, the first step is to register with My Aged Care. You can apply online or by phone.
Once your funding is approved and allocated, you can choose a registered provider such as Esse Care, sign a service agreement and begin arranging your approved services.
There can be a wait between approval and receiving your full funding. If you are unsure where you are up to, our team can help you understand your My Aged Care letters and what to do next.
Begin Home Care Early With Private Funding
Some families wait one to two years for their Support at Home funding to be approved and allocated, and you may need help sooner than that.
If you are waiting for a My Aged Care assessment, waiting for your funding to start, or need more help than your funding covers, you can arrange your home care services privately.
Make Your Home Safer
Home modifications under Support at Home make your home safer, easier to get around and better suited to your changing needs. Examples include handrails, ramps, accessible bathroom changes, stair lifts and wider doorways for wheelchair access.
This funding is separate from your regular quarterly Support at Home budget, so you do not need to set aside your care funding to fund approved changes. If your assessment shows a need, you may be approved for a home modifications funding level based on the type and size of the work.
If you are already receiving Support at Home without this funding, we can apply for it on your behalf.
If approved, you could receive one of these funding levels:
- Low: under $500
- Medium: up to $2,000
- High: up to $15,000
Home modifications are not about renovating your home. They are practical changes that help you move around more safely and keep living at home with confidence.
The Right Equipment at Home
Assistive technology under Support at Home includes equipment that makes everyday tasks safer or easier when ageing makes them harder.
Depending on your assessment, it may include walking frames, wheelchairs, shower chairs, commodes, non-slip equipment, personal emergency alarms and other approved aids.
Like home modifications, this funding is separate from your regular quarterly budget.
If approved, you could receive one of these funding levels:
- Low: under $500
- Medium: up to $2,000
- High: up to $15,000
Some equipment is simple to buy. More complex items may need an assessment, a prescription, a trial or a fitting by a health professional. We help you organise and buy equipment through assistive technology suppliers.
We're here to help
Have a question or just comparing providers? Call us on 1300 662 339, email info@essecare.com.au, or enquire online.
Get In Touch
Receive a call back from our team (during business hours Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm)
Common Questions About Support at Home
What is Support at Home?
Support at Home is the Australian Government’s in-home aged care program for eligible older Australians who need help to keep living safely and independently at home. It replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme on 1 November 2025. Depending on your assessment, it can include ongoing services, assistive technology and home modifications, restorative care or end-of-life support.
Is Support at Home the same as a Home Care Package?
Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages in November 2025. They share the same purpose, which is government-funded care to help older Australians stay at home, although the way funding and contributions work has changed.
Who is eligible for Support at Home?
Eligibility depends on your age and your assessed care needs.
Generally, you need to be 65 or older, or 50 or older if you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or homeless or at risk of homelessness, and have care needs shown in an aged care assessment. You do not have to wait until you can no longer cope. Changes in movement, memory, health or family support, falls, or difficulty with daily tasks are all good reasons to ask for an assessment.
What is included in a Support at Home package?
You can use your package for services on the Support at Home service list. Depending on your assessment, this may include nursing care, allied health, personal care, respite care, transport, social support, cleaning, gardening, shopping and meal preparation. You may also be approved for separate funding for assistive technology and home modifications, or for short-term care.
Your support plan lists the services you are approved for. If a service is not on your plan, it cannot be funded from your package, and the only way to add one is another assessment through My Aged Care.
What does a Support at Home provider actually do?
Your provider does far more than send workers to your door. We will:
- Work with you to build your care plan and personal budget
- Organise your approved services
- Keep a careful eye on your needs, especially clinical needs
- Provide care management
- Manage claims (we pay your workers and claim the cost back from the government)
- Collect your contributions and send you monthly statements showing your services and remaining funding
Will I contribute to the cost of my care?
You may need to contribute to some services, but not every service carries the same contribution.
Clinical Supports, such as nursing and physiotherapy, are fully funded by the Australian Government. Some Independence and Everyday Living services may require a contribution based on your finances. Your contribution is worked out from the price of the service you receive and your personal situation, such as whether you receive a pension. Learn more about contributions here.
What is interim Support at Home funding?
Some people waiting for their full funding may receive interim funding, so that important services can start sooner.
Interim funding is currently 60% of your full funding level. When the remainder becomes available, you move to your full budget, although the difference is not backdated. Your provider can help you prioritise your approved services while you are on the interim amount.