Funding, in plain words
Can Support at Home fund a fall sensor? The AT-HM scheme explained.
On 1 November 2025 the rules changed. Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages, and a new scheme now funds safety equipment separately. Here is what that means for a fall sensor, in plain English.
The short version
Since 1 November 2025, older Australians are supported through the Support at Home program instead of the old Home Care Packages. Inside it sits a scheme called AT-HM, short for Assistive Technology and Home Modifications, and this is the part that funds equipment. Personal alarms and safety alerts are named as things it can fund, and a fall sensor is assessed in that same family of safety aids.
So the honest answer to the question in the title is: it may be able to. Funding is never automatic and is never something a supplier can promise you. It rests on an assessment through My Aged Care of what you actually need. What we can do on this page is explain how the scheme is put together, so you can raise a fall sensor with your assessor clearly and know what to expect.
What changed on 1 November 2025
For years, help at home came through Home Care Packages, with equipment and services drawn from the same pool of money. Support at Home carried that support forward, and if you were already on a package your level and budget came across with you. The important change for anyone thinking about a fall sensor is how equipment is now handled.
Under Support at Home, assistive technology and home modifications are funded through their own separate scheme, the AT-HM scheme, rather than eating into your everyday care budget. That matters. It means a one-off safety item like a fall sensor is considered on its own terms, with its own funding, instead of competing against the hours of help you rely on each week.
The three assistive technology tiers
The assistive technology side of AT-HM is organised into three tiers, set by how much a person needs and how involved the item is. The tiers are ceilings for a twelve month period, not amounts you are handed automatically, and the figure that applies to you comes from your assessment.
Low tier: up to 500 dollars a year
This tier covers simple, off-the-shelf safety items that do not need a formal clinical assessment before you buy them. Many personal alarms and alert buttons sit here. It is the fastest, lightest path, meant for lower cost aids that are straightforward to choose and use.
Medium tier: up to 2,000 dollars a year
The middle tier is for items where a bit of professional advice helps you choose the right thing and set it up safely. At this level you would usually provide some supporting evidence, such as a clinical recommendation or a supplier quote, so the funding is matched to a genuine need.
High tier: up to 15,000 dollars a year
The top tier is for more complex equipment or significant home changes that call for a proper assessment and a formal recommendation from a qualified health professional. Most fall sensors and personal alarms do not need this tier, but it exists for the situations that genuinely do.
These figures come from the published AT-HM scheme and are current at the time of writing. Always confirm the amounts and your own tier through My Aged Care, because your assessment decides what applies to you.
Where a fall sensor fits
Personal alarms and alert buttons are named inclusions in the assistive technology list, which is the clearest sign that safety monitoring belongs inside the scheme. A fall sensor serves the same purpose as a personal alarm. It is there to get help to someone quickly after a fall, so it is weighed up in that same category of personal safety aids.
How it lands in the tiers depends on the sensor and your situation. A single safety aid that is simple to choose tends to sit in the lower tiers, closer to how a personal alarm is treated, rather than up with major home modifications. If you would like the plain picture of how these sensors work before you talk funding, that is set out in our full fall monitoring guide, and the different kinds of device are weighed up in our comparison of fall detection devices.
One honest note, because it matters when you are budgeting. A fall sensor is a safety and wellbeing aid, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat or prevent anything, and no system detects every fall. The scheme funds it for what it is, a way to help someone stay safer at home, and it is worth being clear about that when you talk to an assessor.
One-off and owned, or an ongoing fee
This is the part families most often miss, and it is worth getting straight before you sign anything. AT-HM funding is an allocation for a twelve month period, and after that a reassessment decides what happens next. But the equipment itself can work in two very different ways.
Some safety devices are a one-off purchase that you own outright once it is installed. Nothing keeps ticking over after the funding pays for it, because there is no rental and no monthly service riding on top. The passive in-home sensor we install is that kind: owned, not rented. Other services, especially monitored pendant and alarm plans, run on an ongoing subscription, and that recurring fee is treated separately from the equipment funding.
Neither model is wrong. But they cost very different amounts over five years, so ask any provider plainly which one applies to their product before you commit. A funded device you own is a very different arrangement from a funded first month on a plan that then bills you every month after.
How to raise it with an assessor
You do not need to know the scheme inside out to have a good conversation. A few plain points make it easier for an assessor to see where a fall sensor fits.
- Describe the risk in daily terms. Talk about the shower, the stairs, the long hours home alone, the past falls. Assessments respond to real need, so describe the person and the home honestly rather than reaching for jargon.
- Ask which tier a safety alert sits in. Personal alarms and alert buttons are named inclusions, so it is fair to ask where a fall sensor lands and what evidence, if any, they need from you.
- Be clear about wearables. If your parent will never wear or press anything, say so. A non-wearable, passive sensor may be the only option that genuinely works, and that is worth putting on the record.
- Ask about the twelve month cycle. Check what happens at reassessment, and whether the item you are considering is a one-off you keep or a service that recurs.
Common questions
Can Support at Home fund a fall sensor?
It can help. Under the AT-HM scheme that sits inside Support at Home, personal alarms and alert buttons are named as fundable assistive technology, and a fall sensor is assessed in the same family of safety aids. Funding is never automatic. It depends on an assessment of your assessed need, so the honest answer is that it may be funded, not that it will be.
What is the AT-HM scheme?
AT-HM stands for Assistive Technology and Home Modifications. It is the part of the Support at Home program, which began on 1 November 2025, that funds equipment and home changes separately from your ongoing care budget. Assistive technology has three funding tiers, and personal safety alerts sit within it.
How much funding is available under AT-HM?
Assistive technology under AT-HM has three tiers based on your assessed need: up to 500 dollars, up to 2,000 dollars, and up to 15,000 dollars in a twelve month period. A personal safety alert usually sits in the lower tiers. These are ceilings, not guaranteed amounts, and the exact figure comes from your assessment.
Do I have to keep paying every month if AT-HM funds my device?
Not necessarily. AT-HM funding is an allocation for a twelve month period, and some devices are a one-off purchase that you own, so there is nothing to keep paying once the equipment is in. Monitored subscription services work differently, and their ongoing fees are treated separately. Ask any provider plainly which model applies before you commit.
Is a fall sensor a medical device under Support at Home?
No. A fall sensor is a safety and wellbeing aid, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition, and no system detects every fall. Support at Home funds it as assistive technology that helps someone stay safe at home, which is a different thing from medical treatment.
How do I find out if I am eligible?
Eligibility for Support at Home and the AT-HM scheme is decided through My Aged Care and an assessment, not by any supplier. We are not the funding body and cannot approve anything. What we can do is explain how a fall sensor fits the scheme so you can raise it clearly with your assessor. This page is general information, not financial or legal advice.
Wondering how a fall sensor would fit your funding?
Tell us about your parent and the home. We will explain plainly how a sensor fits the scheme, so you can raise it clearly with your assessor.
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