How can I structure my Home Care budget?
If you’ve been approved for a Home Care Package (HCP), the next step is to decide which combination of the available support and services best meets your needs.
If you’re a Brightwater client, your BAH coordinator and a nurse will help you get the most out of your package. They’ll visit you at home to talk to you about your needs and your goals and help you create a support plan that is tailored to your unique situation.
In this article, we’ll look at ways you might structure your HCP.
Levels of support
There are four levels of HCP, and which level you’ve been approved for determines how much budget you have available to spend on services.
Below are the current budget levels (correct March 2024). The Australian Government reviews these levels each year.
|
Level |
Level of care needs |
Budget |
|
Level 1 |
Basic care needs |
$10,271.10 a year |
|
Level 2 |
Low care needs |
$18,063.85 a year |
|
Level 3 |
Intermediate care needs |
$39,310.50 a year |
|
Level 4 |
High care needs |
$59,593.55 a year |
Within these budgets you have a great deal of flexibility. You can spend it on any combination of services provided by Brightwater that you need.
READ MORE: What services are available with my Home Care Package?
Care management fees
Alongside the services you receive, your care package will cover the management fees of both your HCP and your care. These fees cover the coordination, scheduling and periodic reviews of your package, as well as one clinical assessment each year.
You can also elect to self-manage your package.
These are the current management fees (correct March 2024):
|
Package Management (per week) |
|||
|
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
|
$16.95 |
$30.64 |
$80.18 |
$123.61 |
|
Care Management (per week) |
||||
|
|
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
|
Provider managed |
$26.58 |
$43.08 |
$106.86 |
$167.57 |
|
or |
||||
|
Self managed |
$15.45 |
$28.44 |
$62.44 |
$107.98 |
Let’s look at some examples of ways you could structure your in-home care services, based on your level of HCP.
Level 1 Home Care Package
|
Level of care needs |
Budget |
|
Basic care needs |
$10,271.10 a year |
Dot leads quite a full and social lifestyle but the bursitis in her hip means she can’t bend down as well as she used to and household chores like vacuuming, mopping or changing the bedsheets are more painful and difficult than they used to be.
Dot just wants a bit of help around the house, so her BAH coordinator has recommended getting a cleaner in for two hours a week.
Here’s what her budget looks like. She has a little left over, which can be used for things like transport to appointments or the shops, or getting a gardener in.
|
Service |
Rate |
Total |
|
Cleaner |
2 hours a week at $71.59 an hour |
$7,445.36 |
|
Package management |
$16.95 a week |
$881.40 |
|
Care management |
$26.58 a week |
$1,382.16 |
|
Total |
|
$9,708.92 |
|
Remaining budget |
|
$562.18 |
Level 2 Home Care Package
|
Level of care needs |
Budget |
|
Low care needs |
$18,063.85 a year |
Like Dot, Ernie finds doing household chores more difficult than it used to be. He also recently had a small car accident, which lead to him losing confidence in his driving and deciding to hand in his licence.
Although his children help out a lot, Ernie doesn’t want to be reliant on them. He wants to use his HCP to get a cleaner and for help getting to and from the Morley Galleria, which is three kilometres away.
Ernie’s BAH coordinator recommends budgeting for a care worker for two hours a week for his trips to the shops, a small amount of funds for mileage, and 1.5 hours of cleaning.
|
Service |
Rate |
Total |
|
Cleaner |
1.5 hours a week at $71.59 an hour |
$5,584.02 |
|
Care worker |
2 hrs a week at $77.77 an hour |
$8,088.08 |
|
Transportation |
$1.34 per km (at 6 km per week) |
$418.08 |
|
Package management |
$30.64 a week |
$1,593.28 |
|
Care management |
$43.08 a week |
$2,240.16 |
|
Total |
|
$17,923.62 |
|
Remaining budget |
|
$140.23 |
Level 3 Home Care Package
|
Level of care needs |
Budget |
|
Intermediate care needs |
$39,310.50 a year |
Bonnie’s knees aren’t what they used to be and she now uses a walker to get around the house. Both housework and meal preparation can be difficult.
She had a fall in the bathroom recently and although she’s still fine to wash herself, both she and her kids would feel more comfortable if there was someone in the house just to make sure she’s safe when she’s showering.
During her physical assessment with Brightwater, the nurse recommended Bonnie do some physiotherapy to strengthen her leg muscles. She suggested a physiotherapist visit once a quarter and a therapy assistant visit each week, to help with exercises.
Bonnie also told the nurse about her incontinence issues and her trouble with her feet.
|
Service |
Rate |
Total |
|
Cleaner |
1.5 hours a week at $71.59 an hour |
$5,584.02 |
|
Care worker |
½ hour three times a week to monitor personal care (showering) and do a few chores (e.g. dishes, changing bedsheets) at $58.36 per half hour |
$9,104.16 |
|
Delivery of frozen meals |
5 meals a week for 40 weeks of the year at $80.00 per week |
$3,200.00 |
|
Physiotherapist visits |
4 x per year at $167.68 per hour |
$670.72 |
|
Therapy assistant visits |
48 x per year at $99.59 per hour |
$4,780.32 |
|
Continence supplies |
Continence pads supplied regularly, at around $2000 a year |
$2,000.00 |
|
Podiatrist visits |
6 x hour visits a year |
$1,006.08 |
|
Package management |
$80.18 per week |
$4,169.36 |
|
Care management |
$106.86 per week |
$5,556.72 |
|
Total |
|
$36,071.38 |
|
Remaining budget |
|
$3,239.12 |
Bonnie’s BAH coordinator suggested leaving a healthy contingency in her budget which can be used later to pay for home modifications, like installing rails, or for specialist equipment, like a hospital bed.
As Bonnie’s care needs are likely to increase as time passes, a contingency also means funds are available if she ends up needing extra support, like after-hospital care or more care worker visits.
Level 4 Home Care Package
|
Level of care needs |
Budget |
|
High care needs |
$59,593.55 a year |
Mick has very limited mobility and relies on his walker to get around. He has diabetes which he manages himself with insulin injections. He’s recently had a dementia diagnosis and his kids are worried about him living alone, but Mick wants to live at home for as long as possible.
Mick’s BAH Coordinator recommended a care worker pop in to see him for half an hour each morning and half an hour each evening, to help him with personal care and reassure the family he’s safe and well, had something to eat, and is comfortable.
She also recommended putting in rails, getting a sit-to-stand chair to help Mick get upright when he’s home alone, and having a physiotherapist visit to help him with exercises for balance and strength.
|
Service |
Rate |
Total |
|
Cleaner |
1.5 hours a week at $71.59 an hour |
$5,584.02 |
|
Care worker for personal care |
30 mins x 2 daily, five days a week at $58.36 per half hour |
$30,347.20 |
|
Occupational Therapist |
6 hours of assessments (to get sit-to-stand chair) at $167.68 per hour |
$1,006.08 |
|
Physiotherapist |
4 x per year at $167.68 per hour |
$670.72 |
|
Therapy assistant visits |
48 x 30 mins visit per year at $74.69 per hour |
$3,883.88 |
|
Package management |
$123.61 per week |
$6,427.72 |
|
Care management |
$167.57 per week |
$8,713.64 |
|
Total |
|
$52,351.02 |
|
Remaining budget |
|
$7,242.53 |
This budget leaves Mick a good size contingency, which will allow him to pay for the sit-to-stand chair if he’s approved for it. It also allows for any extra or emergency services that pop up during the year.
Mick’s BAH coordinator also suggested Mick could restructure his package if his care needs increase. If he required help with his insulin, for example, a nurse could visit for an hour, five days a week, for $34,767.20 of his annual budget.
If you would like more support to understand how you can structure a Home Care Package budget, give us a call on 1300 223 968, email [email protected] or complete the form below.
