A few small changes at home can make an enormous difference to someone’s independence. A grab rail beside the shower, a more supportive chair or equipment that makes walking easier may help an older person continue managing everyday activities safely and confidently.

Under Australia’s Support at Home program, eligible older Australians can access funding for approved equipment and home modifications through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme.

This funding is separate from the regular budget used for ongoing Support at Home services. Depending on the person’s assessed needs, it may help pay for mobility equipment, bathroom aids, access ramps, handrails and other modifications.

Understanding what is available, and how to access it, can make an important difference when someone’s home is becoming harder to manage.

What is the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme?

The Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme is part of the Australian Government’s Support at Home program, which commenced on 1 November 2025.

Its purpose is to help eligible older Australians obtain equipment and make changes to their homes when these supports are needed to maintain independence, manage age-related functional decline or complete everyday activities more safely.

The scheme has two main components.

Assistive technology includes equipment and products that help someone carry out tasks they may otherwise find difficult or unsafe. This might involve a walking frame, shower chair or another item designed to improve daily function.

Home modifications involve physical changes to a person’s living environment. These may be relatively simple, such as installing handrails, or more substantial, such as modifying a bathroom to improve accessibility.

The important distinction is that the scheme is based on assessed needs. It is not a general home improvement allowance or a fund for purchasing any equipment someone would like.

An item or modification must meet the scheme’s requirements, address an identified need and be included on the applicable government funding list.

What equipment can Support at Home fund?

The equipment available under the scheme is intended to help people remain as independent as possible, particularly when changes in strength, mobility, balance or physical function are making daily activities harder.

Examples of equipment that may be funded include:

• Walking sticks
• Walking frames
• Wheelchairs
• Commodes
• Shower chairs
• Non-slip bathing equipment
• Personal alarms

Example: Equipment for Safer Showering

Consider an older person who has begun feeling unsteady when showering. They may still be perfectly capable of washing and dressing themselves, but stepping into a slippery shower or remaining standing for an extended period has become difficult.

A suitable shower chair, together with other practical safety recommendations, may help them continue managing this part of their daily routine with greater confidence.

For someone who has difficulty walking around the house, the most useful equipment might be a walking frame or another mobility aid.

However, the appropriate choice depends on the individual. Equipment that is suitable for one person may be unsafe or ineffective for another.

This is why professional assessment can be particularly important when mobility, transfers, positioning or personal care are involved.

An Occupational Therapist can assess how a person manages everyday activities and identify equipment that may improve safety and independence.

A Physiotherapist may also be involved in assessing mobility, balance and walking needs where appropriate. The AT-HM List classifies assistive technology by safety and complexity, which helps determine what assessment or prescription may be needed.

What home modifications are available under Support at Home?

Home modifications are intended to make a person’s existing living environment safer and more accessible.

For many older Australians, the home they have lived in for years may begin presenting challenges that were never an issue before.

A step at the entrance might become difficult to negotiate. A bathroom may be too narrow for a mobility aid. A person may struggle to get on and off the toilet or feel unsafe using the shower, so changes like curbless, zero-threshold walk-in showers and non-slip adhesive strips or mats can reduce risk.

Depending on assessed needs and scheme requirements, home modifications may include:

• Installing slip-resistant flooring in wet areas.
• Installing grab rails that are securely anchored beside the toilet and inside the shower or bath.
• Replacing standard doorknobs with lever-style handles.
• Adding lighting upgrades such as motion-sensor lights or continuous nightlights.
• Widening doorways or passages for wheelchair access.

Additional Home Modification Options

Some home changes may also include low-pile flooring, contrasting colours on stair edges or light switches, lower storage placement, voice-activated lighting, or emergency alarm features when these address assessed accessibility or safety needs.

Not every home modification will be suitable or funded.

For example, a complete bathroom renovation undertaken primarily to modernise its appearance would not automatically qualify. The changes need to address an identified functional or clinical need and meet the scheme’s funding rules.

An Occupational Therapist can assess the home environment, consider how the person uses different spaces and recommend appropriate modifications, including grab rails where clinically appropriate.

Sometimes a relatively minor change is enough to address a problem. In other situations, more substantial work may be necessary.

The aim is not simply to change the home. It is to help the person live safely and continue using it safely.

How much funding is available?

The AT-HM scheme has separate funding tiers for assistive technology and home modifications.

The funding tier approved for an individual depends on their assessed needs.

Assistive technology funding

The Funding Period for assistive technology funding generally covers 12 months, although longer arrangements may apply to certain eligible progressive conditions.

Participants may also access assistive technology funding above $15,000 where needed, supported by a valid prescription, noting that assistive technology funding tiers can affect evidence requirements and approval timeframes.

The funding can include the equipment itself, required professional prescriptions and related services needed to ensure the equipment can be used appropriately.

Home modifications funding

Under the current scheme rules, high-tier home modification funding has a lifetime cap of $15,000, excluding any applicable additional supplement.

Funding may also cover eligible associated costs, such as installation, building approvals, relevant trade services and other necessary work.

These figures are funding limits rather than guaranteed allocations. The actual amount approved and available will depend on the person’s circumstances, assessed needs and applicable rules.

Is this funding separate from regular Support at Home services?

Yes. One of the significant features of the AT-HM scheme is that it provides a funding pathway separate from a person’s ongoing Support at Home budget for ongoing services.

That means an eligible participant does not generally need to build up unused quarterly service funds to obtain approved equipment or modifications.

Someone receiving ongoing Physiotherapy, personal care or other services may also be approved for equipment or home modifications where an assessment identifies the need.

However, having an ongoing Support at Home budget does not automatically mean that AT-HM funding has been approved.

The person’s Notice of Decision and support plan will identify the relevant approvals. Funding must also be allocated before it can be accessed, and this at hm scheme funding may be approved separately from regular services, with some people receiving access first through the home priority system rather than waiting for ongoing funding.

People who transferred from the previous Home Care Packages Program may have different arrangements involving unspent Commonwealth Home Care Package funds. In practice, unspent hcp funds generally need to be used first for eligible AT-HM purchases before newly allocated scheme funding is accessed.

It is worth asking a Care Partner or provider to explain how the rules apply to the individual situation before making a purchase or arranging modifications.

Do you need an Occupational Therapist for home modifications?

Yes. Under the AT-HM scheme, all home modifications must be prescribed by an Occupational Therapist working within their professional scope of practice.

This requirement helps ensure the proposed changes are appropriate for the person and the way they use their home.

An Occupational Therapist may consider how someone moves through the house, transfers from sitting to standing, accesses the bathroom, completes personal care tasks and manages potential environmental hazards.

They may also assess the person’s physical and cognitive abilities, mobility equipment, future needs and support from family or carers.

For example, installing a grab rail in a bathroom might appear straightforward. But where the rail is positioned, how it is used and whether the surrounding environment is suitable can affect its usefulness and safety.

A professional assessment can help avoid modifications that do not solve the underlying problem or introduce new risks.

Assistive technology may also require a prescription from a suitably qualified health professional, depending on the item and the scheme’s requirements.

Bloom Healthcare’s Occupational Therapists provide Assistive Technology assessments and Home Modifications support, helping identify practical solutions that suit a person’s needs and daily activities.

How do you apply for equipment or home modifications?

Access generally begins with an aged care assessment through My Aged Care.

During their aged care assessment, the assessor considers the person’s circumstances, functional needs, goals, and whether equipment or home-modification needs may require at hm support to help them remain living independently.

Where equipment or home modifications are needed, the assessor may approve a relevant AT-HM funding tier under the home at hm scheme.

The approval is then recorded in the person’s Notice of Decision and support plan.

Organising Approved Equipment and Modifications

Once funding has been allocated, the person can work with an appropriate provider to organise the approved equipment, assessment, prescription or modification. After a provider is chosen, the provider notifies services australia so the person can access at hm funding.

For modifications, this will include the required Occupational Therapy prescription. More substantial work may also involve quotes, tradespeople, installation arrangements or building approvals.

It is important not to assume that purchasing equipment independently or commencing building work will automatically result in reimbursement.

The safest approach is to confirm the approval, funding, prescription requirements and provider arrangements before proceeding, and a home provider can help organise approved assessments, equipment, and modifications before any purchase or work begins.

What if the approved funding is not enough?

Sometimes an assessment identifies a need that cannot reasonably be met within the person’s existing funding tier.

For example, someone who initially needed a simple mobility aid may later require more specialised equipment. Alternatively, a home modification may be more complex than originally anticipated, and complex home modifications may sometimes justify an extension where evidence is submitted to Services Australia.

In these circumstances, a provider may request a Support Plan Review and submit evidence explaining why a different funding arrangement is needed.

For assistive technology, funding above the usual $15,000 high-tier amount may be available where the additional need is approved and supported by appropriate evidence, and a valid prescription or other supporting evidence from a qualified health professional may be required to access assistive technology funding above the standard high tier.

Home modification funding has different limits, including the high-tier lifetime cap.

Any additional approval will depend on the relevant rules and an assessment of need.

An Occupational Therapist’s report or prescription can be useful in explaining what is required, why it is appropriate, how it relates to the person’s functional difficulties, and how it supports a request for additional funding under the relevant AT-HM funding tier.

Making your home safer without losing independence

One of the concerns older Australians sometimes express is that accepting equipment or making changes to their home means giving up independence.

In practice, appropriate support can have the opposite effect.

A walking aid may help someone continue visiting their garden. A shower chair may allow someone to manage personal care without needing as much assistance. An accessible entrance may make it easier to leave home and stay involved in the community.

The best solutions are usually those that support what the person wants and needs to keep doing.

That is why assessments should involve the older person in identifying their priorities, preferences and everyday challenges.

The objective is not to make the home look or feel like a clinical environment. It is to help the person continue living comfortably in a place that is familiar and meaningful to them.

How Bloom Healthcare can help

Bloom Healthcare supports older Australians through Occupational Therapy and other Clinical Services that focus on everyday function, safety and independence, including assessment and prescription support related to approved AT-HM items.

Our Occupational Therapists can assess daily living activities, evaluate equipment needs, recommend suitable Assistive Technology and provide Home Modifications assessments and prescriptions where appropriate.

Our Physiotherapists can also help with mobility, strength, balance and walking difficulties that may affect the type of support someone needs at home.

We work with older Australians, families, carers and care providers to develop practical recommendations based on the individual’s goals and circumstances, and our allied health team can help interpret the at hm list and compare local home provider options where equipment or home modifications have been approved.

If you are beginning to find everyday activities more difficult, or are supporting someone whose home is no longer meeting their needs, an Allied Health assessment can help clarify what may make a difference.

Learn more about Bloom Healthcare’s Support at Home services or contact our team to discuss Occupational Therapy and equipment assessment options.

Further information

For official eligibility, funding and scheme requirements, visit the Australian Government’s Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme and My Aged Care.

Information current as at October 2026. Individual approvals, funding and service arrangements depend on assessed needs and current Australian Government requirements.