Companionship and social support
Someone who turns up on a Tuesday, knows how you take your tea, and asks about the grandchildren by name.
The days get very long
The friends stop driving. The club winds up. A partner dies, and with them go the conversations you had every day without noticing you were having them. What's left is a house, a television and the wait until somebody rings.
Nobody puts that on a care plan, because it doesn't sound like a service. It sounds like complaining. It's usually the thing that's making everything else harder.
What a visit can be
- A cup of tea and a proper conversation with someone who isn't in a rush.
- Cards, a crossword, the racing form, a jigsaw, or an hour of music you both know.
- A walk around the block, or as far as the corner and back if that's what today allows.
- Help with the phone or tablet so you can see the grandchildren rather than just hear them.
- Company to a club, a men's shed, a church, a mosque, a temple or a community group.
- Letters, cards and paperwork read through and answered.
Getting out again
A lot of people stop going out for one specific reason, not a general decline. The step at the entrance. Nobody to sit with. A hearing aid that whistles in a noisy room. Fear of needing the toilet somewhere unfamiliar.
Every one of those has a fix once somebody's there with you. Where an outing needs a car we can put companionship and transport together, so it's one worker for the whole afternoon instead of a handover in a car park.
The match is the service
With personal care, competence carries the visit. With companionship, it's the person. Two hours a week with someone you've got nothing to say to is worse than two hours alone.
So we ask about the things that usually decide it: what you did for a living, what you follow, whether you'd rather talk or sit quietly, whether you want a man or a woman in the house, and what language you'd rather be speaking. Our carers between them speak a wide range of languages, and for a lot of people that's what turns a visit into a conversation. If the match isn't working, say so and we'll change it. That isn't a complaint, it's information.
What it gives the family
An adult child living interstate spends a lot of energy worrying about a parent who's alone all week. A regular visitor changes what those phone calls sound like, because there's something new to talk about, and because someone laid eyes on the house on Tuesday and would have said something if anything was wrong.
How companionship is funded
Social support sits in the Independence category of Support at Home, the program that replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. Independence services carry a participant contribution worked out from your income and your Age Pension status, and full pensioners contribute nothing towards them. You can also pay privately while you wait for a package, which is how a lot of people start.
Arranging a first visit
Call 1800 434 002 or send the form below. Tell us about the person as well as the hours: what they used to do, what they still enjoy, what they've stopped doing lately. That's what we match on. The conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Other services
- Transport services — a driver who walks you in and waits.
- Respite care — cover so a family carer can take a break.
- Dementia care — support built around memory loss, at home.
- All services
Common questions
What actually happens on a companionship visit?
Whatever you would do with a friend who dropped in. A cup of tea and a proper conversation, cards or a crossword, a walk to the shops, help writing a letter or working out a phone so you can see the grandchildren, an hour in the garden, or a lift to the club. Some visits are entirely about company and nothing else, and that is a legitimate use of the time.
Is companionship covered by Support at Home?
Yes. Social support sits in the Independence category, alongside personal care and transport. Independence services carry a participant contribution worked out from your income and your Age Pension status, and full pensioners contribute nothing towards them. Your quarterly budget is set when your package is assigned.
Can I have the same person every week?
Yes, and with this service more than any other it is the point. A companion who changes every fortnight is just a series of strangers in your lounge room. We match you with one worker and keep that arrangement, and when they are on leave we tell you in advance rather than sending someone unannounced.
Can we go out, or does the visit have to be at home?
You can go out. Walks, cafes, the shops, the library, a club, a place of worship, a men's shed, the cemetery on an anniversary, or a drive somewhere you used to go. If the outing needs a car we can combine companionship with transport so it is one worker for the whole trip rather than two.
My father says he does not want a stranger in the house.
Most people say that, and many of them are the ones who later ask us to add a second visit. It usually works better to start with a task rather than a chat: someone coming to help in the garden or drive to the RSL is easier to accept than someone coming to keep you company. The company happens anyway.
Can companionship start before a package is approved?
Yes, privately, and it is a common way to begin because it is the least confronting service to accept. When the package is assigned the visits move onto it and the same worker keeps coming on the same day.
Enquire about companionship
Tell us where you're up to and we'll be in touch. Prefer to talk? Call 1800 434 002.