Restorative Care Pathway

No. You no longer have to choose between the two. You can access the Restorative Care Pathway alongside an existing Support at Home Package, without losing your current support. The Restorative Care Pathway is a short-term pathway in the Support at Home program, with its own separate funding and goals, so it works alongside your ongoing services rather than replacing them. 

No. There are no options to temporarily stop services during a restorative care episode, and regardless of personal circumstances, an episode is limited to 16 consecutive weeks. If your circumstances change during your episode, speak with your Restorative Care Partner as soon as possible so they can help you plan around it. 

Each restorative care episode runs for up to 16 weeks. You can access 2 non-consecutive restorative care episodes, with a minimum of 3 months between each one. 

You’ll need an aged care assessment organised through My Aged Care (1800 200 422 or myagedcare.gov.au). An aged care assessment determines if you need short-term, targeted support through the Restorative Care Pathway. Once approved, you can choose MercyCare as your provider, and we’ll work with you to set up your goal plan and multidisciplinary support team. 

Generally yes – accessing the Restorative Care Pathway requires its own aged care assessment, separate to the one used for your Support at Home Package, so an assessor can confirm your goals and the level of support needed for your episode. If you’re unsure whether you need a new assessment, your Restorative Care Partner or Engagement Officer can help check this for you. 

Your Restorative Care Partner will begin planning your exit from the start of your episode, working with you to review your goals and what’s been achieved. Your exit plan will outline your episode’s start and end dates, describe your goals and whether they were achieved, the services you received, and any recommendations from your care team. If you need ongoing support after your episode, this can be used to request a Support Plan Review or arrange continued services. 

Your Restorative Care Partner will begin planning your exit from the start of your episode, working with you to review your goals and what’s been achieved. Your exit plan will outline your episode’s start and end dates, describe your goals and whether they were achieved, the services you received, and any recommendations from your care team. If you need ongoing support after your episode, this can be used to request a Support Plan Review or arrange continued services. 

Your care is delivered by a multidisciplinary team built around your specific goals — this might include physiotherapists, occupational therapists, exercise physiologists, speech pathologists, allied health assistants, or nurses, depending on what you need. Your dedicated Restorative Care Partner coordinates this team, oversees your goal plan, and checks in on your progress throughout your episode.