Can I Pay for Gardening with My Home Care Package?

Updated July 2024

Gardening can be pretty tricky as we age. How do you keep your garden neat, tidy, and safe while living with limited mobility or disability? Do you have to go it alone, or can you pay for professional gardening services with a Home Care Package? Keep reading to find out!

What is a Home Care Package?

A Home Care Package (HCP) is a form of government-subsidised home care in Australia. An HCP is usually awarded to older adults or people with disabilities with more complex care needs and might help with multiple parts of their everyday lives. To help meet the varied needs of home care package consumers, HCPs consist of four levels.

• Home Care Package Level 1: this level is designed for someone with more simple care needs, who could benefit from a few visits per week for assistance with basic tasks.
• Home Care Package Level 2: this level is designed for someone with slightly more complex needs and might include multiple visits per week for help with multiple tasks.
• Home Care Package Level 3: this level is designed for someone with intermediate care needs and may include very frequent visits for help with many areas of daily living.
• Home Care Package Level 4: this level is designed for someone with complex care requirements who might need daily care or specialised services to meet their needs.

Gardening as Part of a Home Care Package

Now, you’re curious about Home Care Package inclusions and whether a Home Care Package could fund gardening services. The short answer is yes!

Keeping your garden neat and tidy is essential for your safety while living at home. Long, tangly grass, overgrown bushes, and unruly weeds could be a tripping hazard or harbour dangerous wildlife. Plus, a well-maintained and welcoming garden can contribute to happiness and good mental wellbeing. So, in recognising the necessity of a neat garden, subsidised My Aged Care gardening services may be available to you if you’re eligible for an HCP. The only catch is that when you go through your My Aged Care assessment, the assessor must determine that gardening services are essential for you and your unique situation. For instance, if you have a family member living with you who can mow the lawns, you may not be eligible. Also, an HCP can only fund reasonable garden maintenance (think lawn mowing, pruning, and weeding). If you’re keen on artisan hedges and a lavish veggie garden to match, you may need to fund them yourself.

How to Organise My Aged Care Gardening Services

So, you’re eligible for an HCP, and your garden is getting a little out of control, no worries! To begin organising HCP-funded gardening services, like subsidised lawn mowing for pensioners, contact My Aged Care and start your assessment.

Your assessor will consider your living situation, family support, and needs, to determine whether you could benefit from coordinated services. If you’re awarded funding through an HCP, you can then work with a care provider to organise your services—in this case, garden maintenance. Then, all that’s left is to begin receiving Home Care Package gardening services at your property. Your provider will arrange for professional gardeners to visit your home regularly to keep your backyard safe and looking great. Easy!

Choosing the Right Home Care Package Gardening Services

One of the wonderful things about HCP-funded services is that you can choose your own provider. But where do you start? The best place to find your new provider is online. This way, you can thoroughly research your home care provider’s experience and reputation. Ideally, choose someone with a proven track record of providing quality care and support. Your provider must also be an approved Home Care Package provider; otherwise, they can’t deliver My Aged Care services. Also, as part of your initial research, make sure your future provider offers the services you need now—like subsided lawn mowing for pensioners, and any other services you may need in the future, like home help. This way, your chosen provider can support you as you age in place for many years to come.

Other Home Care Package Services

As we age, garden maintenance is often one of the first things we seek assistance with. But beyond gardening, My Aged Care can fund lots of other Home Care Package inclusions to help you live comfortably at home. This might mean help with cleaning, housework, social support, meal preparation, transport, and personal care services like bathing and dressing. If you think you could use some assistance in any of these areas, don’t hesitate to reach out. There are plenty of services designed to help you stay happy, healthy, and independent.

Could your garden use a little tidying up? Here at Simply Helping, we offer flexible in-home care services, including Home Care Package gardening and more. Click here to learn more, and contact us today!