Home Care & Disability Support in Melbourne

The indicative hourly market rate for home-care services (personal care, cleaning tasks, support work) commonly starts from $95. For more specialised/home-nursing care, hourly rates tend to be higher. Nursing services start from about $160 per hour, not including goods like bandages, dressings and continence aids where required. 

Of course, overall weekly or monthly cost depends on how many hours of care you need, whether you need simple domestic support or higher-level dementia home care services, and whether services are during standard hours, nights, weekends or public holidays (which tend to cost more).

You can read more about our pricing for Support at Home or discover fully-managed or self-managed private home care.

You have several payment/funding options when it comes to at-home age care or disability support services in Melbourne: 

• Out-of-pocket / privately paid: You pay the hourly or service rate directly to the home care provider (common if you don’t have a package/funding).‍
• Government-subsidised packages: Through national programs such as the new Support at Home program and NDIS, which help cover many home care services based on assessed needs/funding.

You can start receiving private home care as soon as:

• You or a provider organise and agree on the care services, and
• The provider schedules and begins the support sessions

Since you’re paying privately, you can usually begin services almost immediately — it just depends on availability and the provider you choose. Unlike government-subsidised care, private home care has no waiting lists, so support can start as soon as you’re ready. 

This is different from subsidised care, which requires assessments, package assignment, and coordination before services can begin.

1. Contact My Aged Care to request an assessment — they’ll assess your needs to determine if you qualify. 
2. If approved, you’ll be assigned a package level depending on your assessed care needs. 
3. You then choose a home care provider (like Five Good Friends!) who will work with you to plan and deliver care and support services at home. 

Once your care plan and agreement are in place, you can start receiving services.

We match you with Helpers based on your interest, routines and goals, not just availability. From disability in-home care in Melbourne that helps you build independence to community support that keeps you connected to the people and places you love, you’re always leading the way. With Five Good Friends, you’ll always have a say over who supports you.

Our Melbourne Helpers offer disability support services (also known as in-home and community disability supports) that include assistance with daily living tasks, community access support, skill development, personal care and support coordination. We’ll help you understand how your funding works and offer flexible care that’s tailored to help you achieve your goals in living independently.