Why self-management is gaining popularity for in-home aged care
Many older Australians are choosing to self-manage their Home Care Package (HCP) because it offers choice, flexibility, and value. With self-management, you get to decide who comes into your home, how they support you and how your funding is spent - allowing you to design your care to fit your lifestyle and preferences.
Is self-management the right choice for you?
We know that you are the best person to manage your care, ensuring you get the best outcomes and maximum value from your home care package. Perhaps you have a trusted loved one who can assist or self-manage your care on your behalf?
What you need is a partner who empowers you to do this effortlessly. With our industry-leading low fees starting at 15%, you can easily manage your care. It's not just about saving money - it's about making your funding work for you.
What to consider before choosing home care package self-management
Self-managing your Home Care Package can be empowering — but it’s important to understand what’s involved. Some common considerations include:
- Organisational skills: Coordinating services, booking appointments, and managing your budget requires some comfort with planning and organisation.
- Digital literacy: Using our platform is easy, but it does require basic digital literacy, or support from a loved one.
- Self-directed: You (or your support person) will take on more ownership of care decisions and play an active role in ensuring your plan is followed
That’s why Five Good Friends offers easy-to-use tools, supportive resources, and expert backup to help you feel confident — without ever feeling alone.
Reasons to manage your own home care package:
- You’re confident in interviewing and selecting carers.
- You can coordinate allied health professionals and other supports.
- You like having flexibility in how and when you receive services.
- You’d prefer to direct your funding towards more hours of care.
- You’re comfortable using digital tools to oversee your care plan.
- You may have trusted family or friends to assist with self-managing your care.
With the right tools and support, managing your own home care package becomes a rewarding way to maintain independence, dignity, and control.
Key features of our self-managed packages:
We’re here to make self-management easy with tools, support, and guidance every step of the way.
Intuitive tools and resources to empower you:
- A smart and easy-to-use app to help you review care workers, book services, track spending, and update your help plan.
- Step-by-step video guides to walk you through how to get the most out of self-managing your care.
- Real-time budget visibility — giving you full control over your package funding.
A trusted network of 1,000+ verified service providers across Australia, covering a wide range of products and services, including:
- Allied health professionals like physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and more.
- Continence, lifestyle and mobility aids to support daily living.
- Pre-prepared meal services to suit dietary needs and preferences.
An embedded workforce of highly trained care workers (Helpers), ensuring that you can find the right match for your needs, preferences, and schedule.
- Helpers are fully verified, ensuring both quality and compliance with Aged Care & NDIS standards.
- An in-house learning and development programme ensures your Helpers are highly trained and can upskill when your care needs evolve as you grow older.
With our platform, you’re in control – you review and select your care workers, service providers and age-related products, all while staying connected to your support team through our app.
Backed by expert advice when you need it
When life gets a little tricky - because sometimes it does - you’ll have a reliable, trusted partner ready to step in when you need extra support. Our customer service team and care vavigators are on hand to provide expert guidance.
Self-managing your home care is easy - with a little help from your friends.
How to get started
Join the growing number of Australians who confidently self-manage their home care package with Five Good Friends. Our Members consistently rate us with Net Promoter Scores (NPS) of 60+, reflecting high satisfaction and trust.