Domestic assistance
Cleaning, laundry and the shopping. The jobs that stop being manageable long before anything else does.
The house slips first
The vacuuming goes, then the shower recess, then the beds. By the time family visits and notices, the washing has been sitting in the machine for three days. Nobody decides to stop cleaning. It gets harder to bend, harder to carry a basket down the hall, harder to face on a bad day, and the standard drops a little at a time until the house stops feeling like yours.
Domestic assistance is a support worker coming in for a set block, usually an hour or two a week, and putting it back the way you like it. Not a spring clean. Upkeep, so the place stays somewhere you're comfortable having people over.
What a visit covers
- Vacuuming, mopping and dusting through the living areas, bedrooms and hallway.
- Bathroom and toilet cleaning, including the shower recess, the mirror and the floor behind the door.
- Kitchen benches, stovetop, sink and microwave, and clearing out whatever has gone off in the fridge.
- Washing, hanging out, bringing in, folding, putting away and ironing.
- Stripping and remaking the beds with fresh linen.
- Grocery shopping, done for you from a list or done with you at the shops.
- Bins out on the right night and back in the next morning.
Your house, your standard
Some people want the bathroom done properly and couldn't care less about the spare room. Some want the ironing and will handle everything else themselves. We work to a list you set, and we'd rather do four jobs the way you want them than eight in a rush.
Tell the carer where things live, and expect them to write it down. The genuinely irritating part of accepting help in your own home isn't the help. It's the mug ending up in the wrong cupboard and the good tea towels being used on the floor.
Two ways to do the shopping
Some people hand over a list and want the shopping to appear. Others want to come along, because the supermarket is the only outing that week and choosing your own tomatoes isn't a small thing. Both are the same service. A carer can drive you there, walk the aisles with you, carry it all in and put it away.
Say if you always buy a particular brand. Coming home to the wrong tea is a small disappointment that lands harder than it should.
What a support worker won't do
Domestic assistance is regular light housework. It doesn't cover anything up a ladder, heavy furniture shifted, gutters, windows above head height, mould treatment or clearing a hoarded room. Those are separate jobs, and asking a support worker to attempt them is how people get hurt. Gutters, lawns and odd repairs sit under home maintenance; grab rails, ramps and a level shower entry sit under home modifications.
Pets are fine. Litter trays, water bowls and feeding are usually fine. Walking the dog isn't part of it.
Why cleaning costs you more than nursing
This catches people out, so it's worth saying plainly. Under Support at Home every service sits in one of three categories, and the category sets what you contribute. Cleaning, laundry and shopping are Everyday living services, which carry the highest participant contribution. Nursing is a Clinical support and is fully funded, so you pay nothing towards it. Seeing a cleaning line on the invoice next to a nursing line at zero looks like an error, and it isn't.
The reasoning behind it is that housework is a cost most households carry whether or not anyone needs care. Your actual rate depends on your income and your Age Pension status, full pensioners pay the least, and the figure is calculated by Services Australia rather than by us. It's written into your agreement before you sign.
Getting started
Call 1800 434 002 or send the form below. We'll ask what's been getting left, how big the place is, and whether you have a package, an assessment date, or neither yet. If you're still waiting, you can pay privately now and move onto the package when it's assigned, with the same person still turning up.
Other services
- Meals and nutrition — cooking, shopping and keeping an eye on weight.
- Personal care — help with showering, dressing and getting through the morning.
- General home maintenance — gutters, lawns and the jobs that need a ladder.
- All services
Common questions
How long is a domestic assistance visit?
Most people book one or two hours a week. An hour covers a bathroom, a vacuum through and a load of washing in a unit. A larger house, or a fortnightly visit rather than a weekly one, usually needs two. We will tell you honestly what fits in the time rather than promise the whole house in sixty minutes.
Is this the same as hiring a commercial cleaner?
No. A cleaner cleans and leaves. A support worker is trained in aged care, notices that you are unsteadier than last week or that the fridge is full of food going off, and passes that on to your care manager. The housework is the visible part of the visit. The set of eyes is the part that matters when something starts going wrong.
Why does cleaning cost me more than nursing?
Because of the category it sits in. Support at Home splits services three ways, and cleaning, laundry and shopping are Everyday living services, which carry the highest participant contribution. Nursing is a Clinical support and is fully funded, so you pay nothing towards it. The reasoning is that housework is a cost most households carry whether or not anyone needs care.
Can the carer do my grocery shopping?
Yes, either from your list while you stay home, or with you if you would rather come along and pick your own things. A carer can drive you, walk the aisles with you, carry the bags in and put the shopping away. You pay for the groceries themselves, the same as always, and you get the receipt and the change.
What will a carer not do?
Anything that needs a ladder, heavy furniture moved, gutters cleared, windows above head height, mould treated or a hoarded room cleared. Those are either home maintenance or a specialist job, and asking a support worker to do them is how people get hurt. Gardens and lawns sit under home maintenance too.
Can I start before my package comes through?
Yes. You can pay privately and start this week, then move onto your package once it is assigned, keeping the same person. Most people who do this are three months into a wait and have decided they are not spending another season with the bathroom in that state.
Enquire about domestic assistance
Tell us where you're up to and we'll be in touch. Prefer to talk? Call 1800 434 002.