Aged care in Mallacoota: is the system working?
I went to the Support at Home sessions in Mallacoota on 21 October. Here's what was said, what worried me as a carer for my 90-year-old mum, and the questions I'm now asking formally.
By Colin Dixon, 21 to 22 October 2026. Facts checked 22/10/2026 against the sources listed at the end. For clients and families. About 4 minutes to read.
In short
On 21 October 2026 the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and Trilogy Care ran Support at Home information sessions in Mallacoota. I raised concerns from managing Mum's care: approvals that must come before any work starts, a reimbursement still outstanding, and whether the rules fit a small town with few trades. I'm following these up formally and would like to hear from others.
Mallacoota has a large retired population. Sooner or later, the way aged care works at home touches nearly every family here, including mine. My mum is 90, and I manage her care.
On 21 October 2026 I went to the Support at Home information sessions held in town. They were run by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing together with Trilogy Care, which is the provider for Mum and for a number of other people locally. It was good to see both in the room, and the people presenting were patient with a lot of questions.
What I heard
The message on home modifications was clear: work has to be fully approved before it starts. That makes sense on paper. The government’s own description of the scheme says the provider arranges an occupational therapist’s assessment, gets your agreement, then coordinates installation with a qualified person (My Aged Care: AT-HM scheme).
It also made me think about how differently things went for us before the changes in November 2025, under the old Home Care Packages system. I’ve written that up separately: how we renovated Mum’s bathroom for $28,000.
What worries me
Two things, mostly. The first is timing. Mum’s driveway and path concreting was approved, and the work was done in October 2025. The contractor was paid in full at the time. A year later, the reimbursement is still outstanding. I’m not raising that to blame anyone. I’m raising it because if a family like ours, with time and paperwork skills, is waiting this long, others will be finding it harder.
The second is fit. In a town this far from anywhere, there might be one builder, a couple of trades and a long wait. Rules designed around big suppliers and registered contractors can push prices up or slow everything down, even when a local tradie could do the job well.
The questions I’m asking
Which of these rules are Commonwealth law, and which are the provider’s own policy? What flexibility is there for remote towns, where choice of trades and suppliers is limited? And how long should a family expect to wait for an approved reimbursement? I’ve put more detail in Law or provider policy? Questions worth asking.
I’m following these up formally with the provider and the department, and I’ll update this page with what I learn.
Your experience
CarePlan.au is independent. It isn’t a government agency or a provider. Mallacoota is our example, but these questions apply right across Australia. If you’ve had a similar experience, good or bad, I’d like to hear it. Get in touch.