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What to do next

Getting started

Beginning aged care can feel like a lot at once. It is really only three moves: get assessed, wait for funding, choose a provider. Here is what each one involves and what to have ready.

Apply for an assessment Talk it through with us

Or call My Aged Care directly on 1800 200 422.

An older man and his adult daughter reviewing a care plan together at home.

Start here

Where are you up to?

"Getting started" means three different things depending on the answer. Pick the one that describes you.

If you have not been assessed

Applying for an aged care assessment

This is a government process. It is free, you do it yourself, and you do not need a provider to start it.

Check the age requirement

Most people
65 years or older
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
50 years or older
People who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness
50 years or older

The assessment also looks at how much help you need with everyday tasks. Meeting the age requirement on its own is not enough, and neither is age alone a barrier if your needs are assessed as suiting a different program.

Then apply

  1. Apply online through My Aged Care, or call 1800 200 422. A doctor or hospital can also refer you.
  2. An assessment organisation will call you, usually within 2 to 6 weeks, to confirm your needs.
  3. If you are eligible, they arrange a face-to-face assessment at home and build a support plan with you.

Apply through My Aged Care

Have ready before you apply

  • Your Medicare card
  • Fifteen to twenty minutes of uninterrupted time
  • General information about yourself and anyone else involved in your care
  • If you want to register a supporter, ideally have them in the room with you

Worth doing before the assessment

  • Think about the tasks that have become difficult, not just the ones you cannot do at all
  • Note what a bad day looks like, not only an average one
  • Have a list of your medications and health conditions nearby
  • Invite a family member, friend or advocate to sit in if you would like support
  • Say what you want to keep doing, since the plan is built around your goals

The assessment is where your funding level is decided

Describe a difficult day, not an average one. People routinely understate what they struggle with, and the classification you are approved for follows what the assessor records.

If you are approved and waiting

What to do while funding is allocated

You cannot make the queue move faster. You can arrive at the front of it ready to go, which is worth more than it sounds.

  • Read your Notice of Decision properly

    It lists exactly what you are approved for. If something you need is missing, that is worth raising now rather than after services start.

  • Write down what a good week looks like

    Not services, outcomes. "Shower without worrying about falling", "get to the shops on Thursday". A care plan built from those is a better plan.

  • Work out your likely contribution

    Services Australia assess your income and assets to set your contribution. Knowing roughly where you land makes provider quotes much easier to compare.

  • Talk to two or three providers

    There is no cost and no commitment in a conversation before funding arrives. It also means you are not choosing under time pressure later.

  • Ask for a review if things change

    If your health declines while you are waiting, contact My Aged Care. A Support Plan Review can change what you are approved for and your priority category.

  • Check your equipment funding separately

    Assistive technology and home modifications have their own priority system, so that money can arrive before your ongoing funding does.

Estimate your quarterly budget

If your funding has been allocated

Questions worth asking every provider

Providers set their own prices and their own terms, so the answers genuinely differ. Ask all six of anyone you are considering, including us.

  • 1

    What exactly will I pay, in dollars, for the services in my plan?

    Providers set their own prices. A percentage is not an answer, and a written breakdown is reasonable to expect before you sign.

  • 2

    How much of my budget goes to care management and anything else before services?

    Care management is 10% of the quarterly budget. Ask what else is deducted, and what it buys you.

  • 3

    Who will actually come to my home, and will it be the same people?

    Continuity is the single thing people raise most often. Ask how it is handled when someone is unavailable.

  • 4

    What happens if I need to change or cancel a visit?

    Notice periods and cancellation charges vary between providers and should be in the agreement.

  • 5

    How do I raise a concern, and who hears it?

    You should get a clear answer, and it should include your right to go to an external body instead.

  • 6

    What are your exit terms if I decide to move to another provider?

    You can change providers under Support at Home. Ask before you join, not after.

You have 56 days, and one 28-day extension

A service agreement must be in place and services must have started within 56 days of your funding allocation letter. If you need longer, request the extension through My Aged Care before the deadline rather than after it.

All the deadlines, and what happens if one lapses

If you need help sooner

When you cannot wait for the process

Support options exist even if you have not been assessed yet.

  • Urgent medical care

    Call your doctor, or emergency services if the situation is life-threatening.

    Emergency
    000

  • Emergency respite

    If you or the person caring for you needs a break urgently, Carer Gateway arranges emergency respite.

    Carer Gateway
    1800 422 737

  • Ongoing care needed now

    My Aged Care can arrange an assessment and record an urgent priority.

    My Aged Care
    1800 200 422

If English is not your first language

Call TIS National on 131 450, say which language you speak, and ask the interpreter to call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. The service is free.

Where this information comes from

Program rules, funding amounts and dates on this page are set by the Australian Government, not by Bamboo Care. Each was checked against the official page below on 31 August 2026. Government settings are indexed and amended periodically, so confirm current figures before relying on them.

Not sure which of the three you are?

Tell us what you have received so far and we will tell you what the next step is, even if that step is a phone call to someone else.

Get started Talk to our care team
Call us Get Started

Bamboo Care is applying for registration to deliver Support at Home services

Our application is being assessed by the Australian Government. Bamboo Care is not yet a registered Support at Home provider, and nothing on this website should be taken as confirmation that registration or government approval has been granted.

You are welcome to talk with us now about what you need. We will be straight with you about what we can and cannot do while the application is being assessed.

Talk to our care team