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Caring for an Ageing Parent? How to Find Support at Home in Brisbane West
It might start with small changes.
Your parents ask for help with the shopping. Household tasks take longer. Getting to appointments becomes difficult, or preparing a meal feels like too much effort.
You want to help, but you may also be balancing work, children, your own health and other responsibilities. Over time, those small requests can become a significant part of your week.
If this sounds familiar, you may be wondering: “What support is available, and where do we start?”
Government-funded aged care can help eligible older people access assistance at home. An aged care assessment determines eligibility and identifies the services that may suit their needs.
You do not have to work out every step on your own.
When should you explore aged care support?
You do not need to have a provider or service already chosen before asking about aged care.
A gentle reminder: your wellbeing matters too.
Caring for a parent can involve a lot of responsibility. Our free carer affirmation cards offer encouraging reminders that you deserve kindness, rest and support too.
Save them to your phone or print them to keep somewhere you will see them.
A useful starting point is to consider what daily life looks like for your parents and how much assistance family members are already providing.
Questions to discuss together include:
Is cleaning, laundry or meal preparation becoming harder?
Are transport difficulties affecting appointments, shopping or social activities?
Would assistance with showering, dressing or other personal care be helpful?
What tasks are family members regularly taking on?
What would help your parents feel more comfortable, independent or connected?
These are useful topics to raise during an aged care assessment. The assessor will discuss your parent’s circumstances, day-to-day needs and preferences to help identify suitable support.
Start with what matters to your parent
Before focusing on paperwork or providers, start with a conversation.
You might ask:
“What would make life at home easier for you?”
Or:
“Is there anything you would like help with so you can keep doing the things you enjoy?”
The aim is not to take over. It is to understand your parent’s priorities and explore support together.
Consider writing down:
What they want to keep doing independently.
What they would welcome help with.
Any concerns they have about receiving support.
Their preferred routines and appointment times.
Activities and relationships they want to maintain.
These notes can help you explain what matters during conversations with assessors and providers.
What is Support at Home?
Support at Home is an Australian Government aged care program designed to help eligible older people remain living independently at home. It replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-term Restorative Care Programme in November 2025.
Depending on assessed needs and approval, support can include:
Clinical care, such as nursing and allied health.
Personal care, including assistance with showering or dressing.
Transport and assistance to attend appointments or social activities.
Domestic assistance, shopping and meal preparation.
Other approved services that support independence at home.
Not everyone will need the same services or qualify for the same program. An assessment determines eligibility and recommends an appropriate aged care pathway.
How do you get started?
1. Contact My Aged Care
Applying for an assessment is the first step towards accessing government-funded aged care.
Your parents can apply online, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, or apply through an in-person appointment with an Aged Care Specialist Officer at Services Australia. A family member or trusted person can help with the application and attend the assessment.
You do not need to know exactly which services to request before making contact. The assessment process is there to help identify needs and suitable support.
2. Prepare a picture of everyday life
Before the assessment, make notes about what is working well and where help would make a difference.
Include:
Tasks your parents find difficult.
Assistance already provided by family or friends.
Mobility, personal care or transport needs.
Activities your parents want to continue.
Questions about services, eligibility or next steps.
Try to describe a typical week, rather than only what your parents can manage on a particularly good day.
Assessments usually take place in person at home or at the older person’s current residence. The assessor will discuss their situation and needs before recommending suitable services.
3. Review the outcome and explore providers
If your parent is approved for Support at Home, their assessment outcome will explain the support arrangements. You can then explore providers and discuss how they would deliver the approved services. My Aged Care can help you find local providers.
Before agreeing to services, ask for clear information about availability, fees, contributions and how the proposed support will work.
What should you ask an aged care provider?
Choosing a provider involves more than checking a list of services. You also want to understand how the support will fit your parent’s life.
Useful questions include:
Do you currently provide services in our suburb?
Can you deliver the services in my parent’s approved plan?
When could support begin?
What fees or contributions would apply?
How will you accommodate their routines and preferences?
Who should we contact if their needs change?
How can family members be involved, with my parent’s consent?
What happens if a scheduled service needs to change?
Ask for explanations in plain language and take time to consider the answers. Keeping notes can help you compare options and remember what was discussed.
How Link Into Life supports older people and families
Link Into Life provides personalised aged care support for older Australians across Greater Brisbane. We work as an Associate Provider to Kal’ang Community Care Aboriginal Corporation, a registered aged care provider, to deliver services within approved Support at Home plans.
Our aged care offering includes the following areas of support.
Everyday living assistance
Assistance with domestic tasks and meal planning and preparation can help make day-to-day life at home more manageable.
Personal care and independence
Support with personal care, social connection and transport can help older people participate in daily life and maintain their independence.
Clinical support and care management
Our service offering includes nursing, allied health and care management, depending on the person’s assessed needs and approved support arrangements
The services available to your parents will depend on their approved plan, individual circumstances and local availability.
If you are unsure where to start, Link Into Life offers a free initial session to discuss your circumstances and explain possible next steps, with no pressure or obligation.
Supporting your parent does not mean doing everything yourself
You may want to be there for every appointment, every household task and every difficult day. But it is worth considering what you can realistically continue doing alongside your other responsibilities.
Try asking yourself:
Which tasks can I comfortably keep helping with?
Which responsibilities are becoming difficult to manage?
What would my parents prefer to help with?
What questions do we need answered before making a decision?
Exploring support does not diminish the care you already provide. It gives you and your parents an opportunity to discuss choices and plan the next steps together.
You do not need to solve everything in one conversation. Start with what is becoming difficult, listen to your parent’s priorities and take one manageable step.
Need help taking the next step?
Whether your parent has already been assessed or you are just beginning to explore aged care, Link Into Life can help you understand the next steps.
Request a free initial aged care conversation to discuss your circumstances and confirm service availability in your area.
Prefer to call? Contact us on 0421 183 825.
For an official aged care assessment, contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only. Eligibility for government-funded aged care and approved services is determined through assessment. Services, fees, contributions and availability depend on individual circumstances and applicable program rules. Contact My Aged Care or your provider for information specific to your situation.
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