Support at Home or CHSP: What’s the Difference and Which Support Might Be Right for You?
If you or someone close to you is starting to need a little extra help at home, working out where to begin can feel confusing. You may have come across terms like Support at Home and the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and wondered what they mean, how they are different and which one applies to you.
Both are government-funded aged care programs designed to help older Australians continue living safely and independently at home. The main difference is determined by the type of help you need and how much support is required to help you continue living well at home.
CHSP is designed for people who need a lower level of assistance with everyday tasks, while Support at Home provides a more coordinated approach for people with greater or more complex care needs.
Understanding the difference can make it easier to know what your next step might be.
What Is the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)?
The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) provides entry-level support for older people who need some help to continue living independently at home.
You might still be managing most things yourself but have noticed that certain tasks are becoming more difficult. Perhaps keeping up with the garden is getting harder, you need some help around the house, or getting to appointments isn’t as easy as it used to be.
CHSP may provide access to individual services that can make those everyday tasks more manageable while helping you maintain your independence.
The focus is on supporting you to continue doing as much as you can for yourself, with some extra help where you need it.
What Is Support at Home?
The Support at Home program is designed for older people who need a more coordinated level of care to continue living independently at home.
It replaced the previous Home Care Packages in November 2025.
Support at Home may be suitable if you need help across several areas of daily life, your care needs have become more complex, or you need ongoing clinical or allied health support.
Depending on your assessed needs, services available through Support at Home can include:
- Nursing care
- Allied health services
- Personal care
- Social support and community engagement
- Respite care
- Transport
- Domestic assistance
- Meal preparation
- Gardening, home maintenance and repairs
- Assistive technology and home modifications
Support at Home also includes short-term pathways for restorative care, assistive technology and home modifications, and end-of-life care.
The easiest way to understand the difference is to think about how much support you need and how your services need to work together.
CHSP is generally designed for people who only need a small amount of help to continue managing independently at home.
Support at Home is designed for people who need a broader or more coordinated range of services, particularly when their care needs are more complex.
For example, if you’re generally independent but would benefit from some help with cleaning or transport, CHSP may be appropriate.
If you’re finding that you need support with personal care, nursing, allied health and everyday tasks, you may require the more coordinated approach available through Support at Home.
Which program is right for you will depend on your individual needs and the outcome of your aged care assessment.
How Do You Know Which Support You Need?
You don’t need to work this out on your own before asking for help.
Sometimes the first sign that you may benefit from support is simply noticing that everyday things aren’t as easy as they once were.
You might find that:
- Household tasks are becoming more tiring or difficult
- You’re feeling less confident getting around your home
- Getting to appointments or community activities is becoming harder
- You need some help with showering, dressing or other personal care
- Managing your health or medications has become more complicated
- You need support following an illness or hospital stay
- Your family or loved ones are providing more help than they used to
Needing some support doesn’t necessarily mean you need a high level of care. An aged care assessment is designed to understand what’s happening in your day-to-day life and determine which services may be appropriate for you.
How Do You Access CHSP or Support at Home?
Access to government-funded aged care services begins through My Aged Care.
You’ll need to complete an aged care assessment to determine what support you are eligible to receive.
The assessment is an opportunity to talk about how you’re managing at home, the areas where you’re finding things more difficult and what you’d like to continue doing independently.
Based on your assessed needs, you may be approved for services through CHSP or Support at Home.
Once you’ve received your approval, you can choose an aged care provider to deliver the services you’ve been approved for.
What Happens If Your Needs Change?
The support you need today may not be the support you need in a year, or even a few months.
You might begin with occasional help through CHSP and find that this is enough to make everyday life easier. Over time, however, your health or circumstances may change and you may need additional services.
If your current support is no longer meeting your needs, you can request another aged care assessment.
The important thing is that your care can change with you. Asking for additional support doesn’t mean giving up your independence. In many cases, having the right help in place can make it easier to maintain it.
Finding the Right Support for You
Understanding aged care can feel like a lot when you’re encountering it for the first time. Between assessments, funding, different program names and deciding which services you need, it’s understandable to have questions.
What matters most is finding support that works for you.
Whether you only need a helping hand with one or two everyday tasks or your needs have become more complex, the right support can help you continue living safely, confidently and independently in your own home.
Life Care provides services through both the Commonwealth Home Support Program and Support at Home, with support shaped around your individual needs, routines and goals. If you’re unsure where to begin, our team can take the time to talk through your options, answer your questions and help you understand what the next step might look like.