Your Guide to the Level 2 Home Care Package
For many Australians, it is not enough to simply visit their elderly relative in their homes once or twice a week. As many people age, their needs change, and they may need a bit more help managing daily tasks in their homes and maintaining their independence.
If you are looking for a way to keep your elderly relative in their lifelong home or do not feel they need to move to a care home just yet, it can be worth looking into a Government Home Care Package (HCP). For a great overview of the all of the Home Care Package levels, take a look at our Home Care Package levels 1-4 guide. This guide will focus on the level 2 HCP in more detail.
Level 2 Home Care Package - What Is Included?
The Level 2 Home Care Package is aimed at helping seniors who have a fair to moderate level of independence; they can live independently but will need some support.
What does it cover?
- Personal Care: This involves assistance with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, grooming, and mobility, ensuring the individual maintains their personal hygiene and dignity.
- Domestic Assistance: This includes help with household chores to maintain a clean and safe living environment. Tasks can range from cleaning, laundry, to dishwashing.
- Loan of Basic Care Equipment: Essential equipment is provided on loan to support the individual's health and mobility needs, such as walkers, bed rails, and shower chairs.
- Social Support: This service aims to keep your or your loved one socially active and connected with their community, including companionship, assistance to attend social events, and engaging in hobbies.
- Meal Preparation: Assistance is given in preparing and cooking meals to ensure nutritional needs are met, accommodating any dietary restrictions.
- Shopping: Help is provided with grocery shopping, either accompanying the HCP recipient to the store or completing the shopping on their behalf, ensuring they have all the essentials they need.
- Transport: Support with transportation is offered for appointments, social engagements, or errands, facilitating access to essential services and maintaining social connections.
- Basic Home & Garden Maintenance: This service ensures the home and garden are kept in a safe and presentable state, covering tasks such as mowing lawns, weeding, and minor repairs.
- Some Nursing Care: Limited nursing services are available for health monitoring, medication management, wound care, and other clinical needs, provided by qualified nurses.
Each of these services is tailored to meet the specific needs and preferences of the individual, ensuring they receive the support they need to live comfortably and independently at home. For more details, you can read our helpful post that answers the common question, "What can I spend my Home Care Package on?"
A key difference between home care package level 1 and 2 is that the funding from the Government can cover an increased number of hours that your HCP Provider can spend delivering the services you or your loved one needs. For example, the level 2 package may cover more extensive assistance with personal care, domestic chores, and a higher frequency of social support or specialised services such as nursing or allied health support.
HCPs aim to keep you or your loved one as independent at home for as long as possible, helping with the tasks needed to keep them and their homes safe.
Take, for example, June, who, at 77, is finding it increasingly difficult to keep her home tidy and is also noticing that her garden is becoming a bit overgrown. She has soreness due to arthritic pain but wants to keep her home in order, as well as have a nice garden to sit in without worrying about weeds or other hazards that could cause an accident. She also has trouble shopping because of the arthritis pain, and needs support with that.
Through an ACAT assessment, the assessor might determine that a Level 2 Home Care Package is ideal for helping Jessica keep her home clean and clutter-free while also making sure she can enjoy her garden and her living space without the need to take over completely.
Home Care Level 2 Costs and Funding
Many of our clients are eager to know, at a glance, how much a level 2 home care package is worth. The Australian Government provides a subsidy for Home Care Package level 2, which is paid directly to the care provider for the services they provide. As of 2024, the subsidy amount for a Level 2 package is approximately $18,063.85 for level 2 home care package funding annually, and is subject to increase each year.
Understanding Home Care Package funding involves considering the income-tested care fees, which are assessed by Centrelink based on individual financial situations. This fee, along with a possible basic daily fee, contributes towards the cost of your loved one's care. It's important for recipients to understand the potential fees involved before choosing a care provider. You can find out more about income tests and potential fee contributions on the My Aged Care website.
HCP Level 2- Hours of Care and Needs Changing
How many hours are in a level 2 home care package?
With Care For Family as your provider, we can offer approximately 8 hours of care and support fortnightly. We do not charge a basic daily care fee and our rates generally lower than other providers, helping you to get the most of your HCP. You can read more about our Home Care Package Services here.
If your loved one needs help tidying the house one day and preparing meals during the next visit, we can ensure they get the help they need as part of the level 2 home care package.
For example, if having a clean home provides you with pride, you can allocate funds for housekeeping. This will help you to maintain your home but also contribute to your psychological wellbeing. We know it may all sound a bit complicated, but our friendly team at Care For Family will help you understand what is and isn't included in your Home Care Package funding. Just give us a call!
You may be wondering if it would be more suitable for your loved one to have a Commonwealth Home Support Program or a CHSP. If you suspect that their needs are going to change as time goes on and that they will need a higher level of care and services, then it is likely best to look into an HCP. If your loved one's care plan needs adapting as they get older, then our care assessment team will make sure it is kept up to date.
Differences in an NDIS and HCP
There is more than one option to help Australians maintain their quality of life, and many of them seem to overlap. With both a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and a Home Care Package (HCP), the aim is to help elderly people remain in their homes for as long as possible.
What is the difference between an NDIS and an HCP, and can you claim both for your elderly relative at the same time?
The answer is no. These two programs have different eligibility criteria. With both, the level of funding you will receive will be different, based on your income, and you will be required to pay an income-tested contribution towards the level of care that your loved one receives.
Note: Both the NDIS and HCP programs have an income-tested care fee that you will need to make, so do your research!
How To Choose a Home Care Package Provider
There is a lot to consider when you are choosing a home care package provider for your elderly relative.
You will need a team that is familiar with aged care, can offer a care package level based on individual needs, and is equipped with knowledge of the ACAT (aged care assessment team) assessment and having trained and empathic care managers.
If you think that your elderly relative needs to receive a home care package, then please call our team at Care For Family. Our team members are trained in medical and emotional support and will aim to help keep your loved one in their home for as long as needed.
Call Care For Family today for more information!