Restorative Care Pathway: short-term, focused support to get back on track
From 1 November 2025, the Support At Home program introduces a Restorative Care Pathway - an intensive, short term period of care to help an older person regain independence after a setback.
The goal of the restorative care pathway is to help rebuild daily abilities, manage new or changing health conditions and delay entry to higher level care.
It's ideal for intensive support after a setback for example after a hospital stay or recovery from an injury.
Restorative care can include clinical nursing and allied health (such as physiotherapy or occupational therapy), along with regular monitoring so you can see progress.
Your Support at Home provider will deliver restorative care management to set goals, develop a goal plan and arrange services to meet those goals.
By providing clinical services, nursing and monitoring, the goal is to focus on early intervention to help older people stay at home for longer.
This post explains who it's for, how it works and how it fits alongside your existing Support at Home services.
At a glance
Goal focused recovery: The Restorative Care Pathway helps participants prevent or delay higher levels of care, regain daily abilities, manage new or changing conditions and learn reablement skills.
Your Support at Home provider will deliver restorative care management to set goals, develop a goal plan and arrange services to meet those goals.
Clinical supports are fully funded: there's no contribution for nursing or allied health under this pathway.
Restorative funds are separate from the Support at Home budget and don't affect ongoing classification.
The focus is early intervention and reablement, to support older people after a setback to live at home safely for longer.
Extended support: It offers up to 16 weeks of allied health and nursing services, replacing the eight week ShortTerm Restorative Care (STRC) Program.
Additional to ongoing supports: Participants receive a $6000 budget for the 16week period and providers can apply for a further $6000 if needed; access is separate from your regular Support at Home budget and can be used alongside ongoing services.
Eligibility via assessment: Your aged care assessor will discuss restorative care to see if it might help you remain independent; participants already receiving ongoing Support at Home services may also be eligible.
What Is the Restorative Care Pathway?
The Restorative Care Pathway provides a short term, goal oriented period of care to help older people maintain or regain function after an illness, injury or hospital stay.
From 1 November 2025, it will replace the Short Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme. Unlike permanent in home support, restorative care focuses on building or restoring capacity so that participants can remain at home for longer without needing higher levels of aged care.
The pathway supports older people to:
Delay the need for entry to higher levels of care.
Regain their ability to carry out daily activities after illness or injury.
Manage new or changing ager elated conditions.
Learn education and reablement skills that help maintain independence as they age.
These aims align with the Support at Home program's broader goal to promote choice, independence and flexibility.
The pathway complements the existing service categories (clinical, independence and everyday living) by providing intensive support when needed without using your ongoing Support at Home budget.
Replacing the STRC Programme
Under the current system, the Short Term Restorative Care Programme provides up to eight weeks of reablement support. From 1 November 2025, the Restorative Care Pathway will extend this to 16 weeks. If you are receiving STRC on that date, your provider will discuss how to align your services with the new Support at Home service list.
Who It's For And How To Access
Restorative care is designed for older people whose goal is to remain at home and stay independent after a setback. You may benefit from the pathway if you:
• Have experienced a recent illness, injury or hospital stay and want to regain strength, balance or confidence.
• Need support to prevent a decline in mobility or function.
• Are experiencing new or worsening age related conditions that impact daily living.
Eligibility is determined during your aged care assessment. When you meet with an assessor, they will discuss restorative care and decide whether it might help you remain independent.
You will work with a restorative care provider to set goals, develop a goal plan and arrange services to meet those goals.
Participants who are already receiving ongoing Support at Home services can still access restorative care.
Assessment and Approval
During your assessment, you and your assessor will review your health status, daily living abilities and goals. They will determine whether a restorative care episode could prevent decline or help you regain function.
If approved, restorative care will be included in your support plan. Assessment is important because the pathway is goal focused it aims to achieve specific outcomes within a limited period rather than providing ongoing support.
How Our BCD Clinical Nursing Team Supports You
Restorative care plans are tailored to your goals and may include a variety of services.
At BCD, registered, enrolled and assistant nurses work with your Senior Care Worker and Care Worker Circle to provide clinical assessments, wound care, catheter care, continence reviews and specialist assessments, helping you stay well at home and avoid unnecessary hospital visits.
Depending on your needs, you might work with allied health services for example with physiotherapist or occupational health therapists.
How care plans work: Plans are documented and reviewed annually or if there has been significant change in your health condition or circumstances where you become more at risk. Care plans are linked to your goals and the funding level.
Because clinical supports are fully funded, you will not pay contributions for these services.
How long does Restorative Care last for?
You will be eligible for up to 16 weeks of restorative care. This is an extension compared to the current eigh tweek STRC program. It recognises that rebuilding skills and recovering function can take time.
In any 12-month period, you may access up to two episodes of restorative care. This ensures people can receive additional support if their circumstances change or if they experience another health event.
The pathway gives you a budget of around $6,000 for the 16 week period.
If your restorative care provider determines that you need extra services within that period, they can apply for up to an additional $6,000.
These funds are separate from your quarterly Support at Home budget and do not affect your ongoing classification.
While contributions apply to independence and everyday living services, no contributions are required for clinical supports (such as nursing or allied health services).
How to access Restorative Care
Entering the pathway
Your journey begins at your aged care assessment. If restorative care is recommended, your support plan will specify the start date and length of the episode. Before the pathway commences, you should discuss with your assessor and provider the best timing perhaps you want to begin after hospital discharge or when family support is available.
Participants who are already receiving ongoing services should coordinate with their provider to ensure that restorative care fits alongside existing services.
Completing the pathway
At the end of your 16 week episode, your restorative care partner will review your progress. If you have achieved your goals, your plan will conclude, and you will return to your regular Support at Home classification and budget.
If further support is needed, your provider may apply for an additional $6 000 in funding. You can access a second restorative care episode later in the year if new goals emerge. Should your needs change substantially, you may request a reassessment to review your classification and service mix.
Fictional Case Study Example of the Restorative Care Pathway
After a fall, Georgios* wants to get back to his usual life and swim community. An aged care assessment approves him for the Restorative Care Pathway, a short, intensive 16-week episode focused on regaining function.
With his restorative care partner (Nikolas) , he sets a start and end date, documents needs and goals, and plans weekly restorative care services. Progress is checked regularly against the goals. Near the end, they complete an exit plan and confirm the program goals were met.
Because Georgios still wants to build confidence, strength and balance, Nikolas (with consent) submits a Support Plan Review so an assessor can consider further in-home aged care services and culturally appropriate supports to keep him connected with his Greek community.
Source: (*Fictional Case Study - Department of Health and Aged Care, 2025, pp. 195–196). Department of Health and Aged Care. (2025).
Support at Home program manual: A guide for registered providers (Version 4.0). Australian Government. https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-10/support-at-home-program-manual-a-guide-for-registered-providers.pdf
Need Help?
If you'd like help getting ready for Support at Home – the BCD care team can walk you through your options and what to do next. Give us a call on on 1800 275 223 or get in touch through our contact form and we'll call you straight back. We’re here to help!
FAQs
Find answers to common concerns on our FAQ page or read more about the Support At Home program on our blog.
Who will deliver my restorative care services?
Your Support at Home provider will deliver restorative care management through a staff member known as a restorative care partner. Your restorative care partner will provide clinical coordination and oversight, set goals, develop a goal plan and arrange services to meet those goals.
What is the Restorative Care Pathway and how does it differ from ongoing services?
The Restorative Care Pathway is a time limited short term program that provides up to 16 weeks of intensive allied health and nursing support to help you regain or maintain independence.
It focuses on achieving specific goals and aims to delay the need for higher levels of care. By contrast, ongoing Support at Home services provides long term support based on your classification and can continue indefinitely.
How long does the pathway last and what funding is available?
You can receive up to 16 weeks of restorative care per episode, with up to two episodes in a 12 month period. A budget of around
$6,000 is provided for each 16 week episode. Your provider can apply for an additional $6,000 if extra services are needed during the period.Can I receive restorative care while still using my regular Support at Home services?
Yes. Restorative care is additional to your ongoing Support at Home services. You can access restorative care alongside your regular service mix.
Because the restorative care budget is separate from your quarterly budget, you do not need to reduce other services to fund the pathway.
Visit the My Aged Care website for the latest information.
Sources:
My Aged Care Website: https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-07/support-at-home-program-services.pdf
Support At Home: https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home
https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home/support-at-home-short-term-pathways
Support at Home short-term pathways: https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home/support-at-home-short-term-pathways#restorative-care-pathway-
Disclaimer
The information provided in this blog post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, financial, or professional advice. While we strive to ensure the accuracy of the content, we encourage you to visit the relevant government websites for the most up-to-date and official information.