Clinical Supports and You: Why Your Physio Sessions Could Now Be Fully Funded
If you or someone you care about gets aged care services, you might have heard that physiotherapy is free under the new Support at Home program. Sound too good to be true? It’s not.
Under the new system, physiotherapy is classed as a clinical support. That means eligible clients can access government funded physiotherapy with no participant contribution. In other words, physiotherapy is now fully covered for eligible people – with no need to dip into your savings or sacrifice other services.
For many older Australians, this change has removed one of the main barriers to staying active and well at home: the cost of physiotherapy.
At Active Ability, we see firsthand every day how physiotherapy helps improve our clients’ independence, function, and quality of life. Here, we cover what’s changed, why it matters, and how clinical supports like physiotherapy can help you live well at home for longer.
What is the Support at Home program?
The Support at Home program, which started in November 2025, replaces the Home Care Package system. It is designed to make home-based aged care simpler and more responsive to people’s needs. Under the old system, many people had to use the same funding pool for services like cleaning, transport, and physiotherapy. This often necessitated difficult decisions about priorities. In some cases, it led people to delay or limit therapy that could have made a significant difference to their quality of life.
Under the new model, supports are grouped into three categories:
- Clinical supports – including nursing and allied health supports.
- Independence supports – such as help with transport, showering, and taking medications.
- Everyday living supports – such as shopping, preparing meals and cleaning.
Physiotherapy now sits within the Support at Home clinical supports category because of its vital role in maintaining function, preventing decline, and supporting safe independence. This reclassification underlies Active Ability funding changes.
What has changed for physiotherapy?
Previously, many people had to draw from their Home Care Package budget to pay for allied health services like occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Sometimes, this meant people had to make choices between different services.
For example:
“Do I reduce cleaning or skip transport to leave enough budget for physio?” or
“Should I put physio off until next month?”
Under Support at Home, this has changed.
Physiotherapy is now funded separately to independence and everyday living supports, with no My Aged Care participant contribution for eligible clients. Effectively, this amounts to free physio for seniors in Australia who meet the eligibility criteria.
This means you don’t have to delay or limit physiotherapy to make sure you have enough money left in your budget for other services you need.
Why physiotherapy is now a clinical support
Clinical needs are now funded separately because they support healthy ageing. Physiotherapists help people of all ages to maintain or improve their strength, balance, and mobility. In older adults, physiotherapy can help to reduce falls riskⁱ, hospital admissionsⁱⁱ, and the need for higher levels of careⁱⁱⁱ.
- a minor balance issue could get worse, leading to a fall.
- mild joint pain can limit your mobility, leading to worsening muscle weakness and loss of function.
- reduced mobility after illness can result in long-term loss of independence.
- loss of function could lead to increased reliance on support services.
Physiotherapy supports people to stay safe and independent at home
What this means for you
For Active Ability’s clients, the shift to Support at Home clinical supports means you won’t need to “save” your budget for physiotherapy – or reduce other supports to make room for clinical care. This allows you and your physiotherapist to focus on your health goals, rather than trying to work around funding constraints. It also means therapy can be proactive, supporting you before small issues become bigger problems.How physiotherapy supports independent living
How physiotherapy supports independent living
- get in and out of bed or chairs by yourself
- walk safely inside and outside
- manage stairs and uneven surfaces
- carry your shopping or household items
- hang washing out on the line.
Balance, falls prevention, and safety
Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and hospitalisation in older Australiansiv. Physiotherapy plays a critical role in reducing this risk by improving balance, strength, and walking ability.
Physio-led falls prevention may include:
- balance retraining
- advice on mobility aids
- strengthening for key muscle groups
- gait assessment and walking practice
- identifying hazards or movement habits that increase falls risk.
Restoring movement after injury or illness
- falls or fractures
- joint replacement surgery
- hospitalisation due to illness
- periods of reduced activity
- neurological events such as a stroke.
Pain management
- pain education
- tailored movement programs
- joint and soft tissue techniques
- strategies to reduce joint and muscle stiffness
- advice about modifying your activities and pacing yourself.
Improving overall physical health
- healthy blood flow and joint function
- safe and independent mobility
- endurance and energy levels
- bone, muscle and brain health.
Wellbeing and social participation
- confidence to leave the house
- participation in social activities
- engagement in community life
- reduced fear of falling
- improved mood and motivation.
A positive step for older Australians
The classification of physiotherapy as a fully funded clinical support is an important step forward for aged care in Australia. The new system acknowledges the key role of allied health professionals in healthy ageing – putting prevention, function, and independence at the centre of care.
By recognising physiotherapy as essential health care – and funding it accordingly – the system now better reflects what people actually need to age well.
For our clients, this change means greater access to physiotherapy, and more opportunities to stay active and independent for longer.
Have you previously limited or delayed physiotherapy because of the cost? Now, you could have the chance to prioritise your health and mobility.
At Active Ability, we welcome these reforms and remain committed to delivering high-quality, client-centred physiotherapy that supports you to live well at home.
Our experienced, caring physiotherapists help you live the way you want – whatever that looks like – by providing practical, personalised care, when and where you need it.
If you’d like to discover how our physiotherapists could help you or someone you care about, our friendly team are here for you.
Please call us on (02) 8678 7874, email [email protected] or complete our contact form to find out more.
Physiotherapy can help restore your function after illness, injury or surgery
REFERENCES:
[i] – Australian Physiotherapy Association. Statement from the Australian Physiotherapy Association on falls prevention. April 2025. Available at https://australian.physio/sites/default/files/submission-2025-04/APA%20Position%20Statement%20on%20Falls%20Prevention%20April%202025.pdf. Accessed 2 Mar 2026.
[ii] – APA. Five ways primary community-based physiotherapy keeps people out of hospital. No date. Available at https://australian.physio/sites/default/files/APA_ADVOCACY_FACTSHEET_COMMUNITY_BASED.pdf. Accessed 2 Mar 2026.
[iii] – Woods M, et al (2022). Sustainability of the Aged Care Sector: Discussion Paper. The University of Technology Sydney. Available at https://www.uts.edu.au/research/centres/uarc/research-themes-programs-and-projects/sustainability-aged-care-sector. Accessed 2 Mar 2026.
[iv] – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Falls in older Australians 2019–20: hospitalisations and deaths among people aged 65 and over. Last updated 07 Apr 2022. Available at https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/falls-in-older-australians-2019-20-hospitalisation/contents/falls-compared-to-other-causes-of-injury. Accessed 2 Mar 2026.
