Home Care Packages & Incontinence Products: What's Changed
For older Australians receiving aged care support at home, government funding can be an important pathway for everyday consumables, including incontinence products. If you're searching for information about Home Care Packages, there's one important update to know first: from 1 November 2025, the Home Care Packages Program was replaced by a new program called Support at Home. Here's what that means for incontinence products, and how it differs from NDIS funding.
From Home Care Packages to Support at Home
Home Care Packages were a form of Australian Government-subsidised aged care funding designed to help older Australians stay in their own homes. Under the new Aged Care Act, that program has been replaced by Support at Home, which brings in-home aged care into a single program with multiple funding levels and budgets managed in quarterly periods.
If you or a family member had a Home Care Package, you were transitioned to Support at Home automatically. Your provider can explain exactly how your budget and any contributions work under the new arrangements.
How In-Home Aged Care Funding Can Apply to Incontinence Products
Depending on an individual's assessed needs and care plan, continence support, including products, can be part of what in-home aged care funding covers. What's included, and how it's accessed, depends on individual assessment and your provider's processes, so it's worth confirming the details for your specific situation rather than assuming.
In-Home Aged Care vs NDIS Funding
While both can potentially fund incontinence products, they're separate schemes. In-home aged care (now Support at Home) is for older Australians assessed as eligible through My Aged Care, while the NDIS supports eligible people with disability, with its own age-related entry rules. Generally, people access one scheme or the other for a given type of support, rather than both at the same time for the same need, though the specific interaction can vary by individual circumstance.
Working With Your Aged Care Provider
Your approved in-home aged care provider manages your funding and can clarify whether incontinence products are included in your current care plan, and how to access this funding for a preferred product, such as Bestiee.
Steps to Access Incontinence Products Through In-Home Aged Care
Discuss your needs with your provider or care partner, clarifying whether incontinence products are included in your current care plan.
Confirm any preferred supplier requirements, as some providers have established supplier relationships or specific processes for consumables purchases.
Choose your product, considering your specific absorbency and sizing needs.
Coordinate ordering according to your provider's specific process, which may differ from a typical direct online purchase.
When Funding Doesn't Cover Your Needs
If your current funding doesn't cover incontinence products, or the covered amount doesn't meet your full needs, you may need to purchase additional supply privately, or discuss with your provider whether a reassessment might better reflect your current needs.
Why Product Choice Still Matters Within Funded Care
Even when funding is available, choosing a genuinely comfortable, dignified product like Bestiee, rather than simply the cheapest available option, remains important for quality of life, skin health, and confidence, particularly for older Australians who may be using these products daily over an extended period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Home Care Packages still exist?
No. From 1 November 2025, Home Care Packages were replaced by the Support at Home program. People with an existing package were moved across automatically.
Are incontinence products automatically included in in-home aged care funding?
Not automatically. This depends on your assessed needs, care plan, and provider processes; confirm directly with your provider.
Can I access both NDIS and aged care funding?
Generally, people access one scheme for a given support type rather than both at the same time, though specific circumstances can vary. Seek guidance from your provider or the relevant scheme directly.
Can I choose my own preferred brand, like Bestiee?
This depends on your provider's specific processes; some allow more flexibility in product choice than others. Check directly with your provider.
Key Takeaways
Home Care Packages were replaced by the Support at Home program from 1 November 2025.
In-home aged care funding can cover continence support, including products, depending on individual assessment and care plans.
This funding is separate from NDIS funding, which generally serves a different eligible population.
Choosing a genuinely comfortable, dignified product remains important, even when funding covers the cost.
Understanding how in-home aged care funding works now helps older Australians and their families access the support they're entitled to with greater clarity and confidence.