Support at Home Funding for an Adjustable Bed: The AT-HM Pathway Explained

If you're an older Australian receiving in-home aged care — or you're arranging it for a parent — the rules around equipment changed for the better recently. Since 1 November 2025, the Support at Home program has replaced Home Care Packages, and with it came something genuinely useful: a dedicated funding stream for equipment, separate from your care budget.

This guide explains how that stream — the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme — works when what you need is a bed. Program rules are the government's to set and do get updated, so confirm the current details with My Aged Care or your provider; this is how the scheme works at the time of writing.

Disclosure first: this is the Sleep Sophie site. We sell the Sophie adjustable bed range and work with Support at Home providers and their clients regularly, so this is a supplier's practical view of the process.

What changed from Home Care Packages

Under the old Home Care Package system, a bed came out of the same budget as your cleaning, personal care and nursing — so people saved up for months, or simply went without. Support at Home fixed that structural problem:

• Existing Home Care Package recipients were moved across automatically from 1 November 2025.
• Ongoing services are funded through a quarterly care budget, as before.
• Equipment now has its own scheme — AT-HM — so a bed no longer competes with your shower visits for the same dollars.

How the AT-HM scheme works

Your My Aged Care assessment considers whether assistive technology would help you stay safe and independent at home. If it would, you're approved for an AT-HM funding tier that matches your needs. The key facts:

• The high tier covers equipment up to $15,390, with a clinical assessment — usually from an occupational therapist — supporting the recommendation. Higher amounts can be approved where assessed needs require it.
• Every Sophie product sits comfortably within the high tier.
• In most cases the funding is available for 12 months from signing your service agreement. People with progressive conditions such as Parkinson's or motor neurone disease automatically receive longer.

That 12-month window is the detail worth underlining. We regularly meet families who discovered their AT-HM entitlement late — don't let unspent equipment funding lapse while someone struggles with a bed that no longer works for them.

Getting a bed funded, step by step

1. Talk it through. Call us or your provider about what's actually hard — getting in and out of bed, sitting up, night-time trips, pressure areas, a carer's back. If you haven't been assessed yet, My Aged Care (1800 200 422) is the front door.
2. Clinical input. For equipment at the level of an adjustable bed, an OT's assessment usually supports the funding. We've written a guide to what that assessment involves — and our in-home demonstration can be timed so the OT sees you using the actual bed.
3. We prepare the quote and paperwork. Your provider or care partner receives the formal quote and product information they need. We invoice your provider, not you.
4. Free delivery and installation. Our own team delivers, assembles and demonstrates everything in your home, anywhere in Australia, at no charge.

Which equipment fits the scheme?

• Adjustable beds — positioning, circulation, reflux and safe, independent transfers.
• HiLo adjustable beds — adds whole-bed height adjustment for carer access, harder transfers and falls management. See what a hi-lo bed is.
• Lift recliner chairs — safe standing from sitting, and daytime comfort.
• Alternating air mattresses — ARTG-registered pressure-care systems for people spending extended time in bed.

Which of those is right for you isn't a sales question — it's what your assessment supports. We'll tell you straight if a cheaper option covers your need.

Not on aged care? Different doors, same idea

If you're under 65 and have a disability, the equivalent pathway is NDIS assistive technology funding. Veterans may also have options through DVA — covered in our DVA funding guide. And if funding doesn't apply at all, we offer interest-free payment options through Humm, Brighte and Payright — no-deposit options available to approved purchasers, with a choice of repayment terms.

Frequently asked questions

Can Support at Home pay for an adjustable bed?

Yes. Under Support at Home, equipment is funded through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme — a dedicated funding stream separate from your quarterly care budget. Adjustable beds, hi-lo beds, lift recliners and pressure-care mattresses are exactly the kind of assistive technology the scheme exists for.

How much assistive technology funding can I get?

Your aged care assessment approves you for an AT-HM funding tier based on your needs. The high tier covers equipment up to $15,390, with a clinical assessment (usually an occupational therapist) supporting the recommendation — and higher amounts can be approved where assessed needs require it.

I had a Home Care Package — what changed?

Home Care Package recipients were moved across to Support at Home automatically from 1 November 2025. The biggest improvement for equipment is the AT-HM scheme: you no longer need to save up your package budget for months to afford a bed — assistive technology has its own funding.

How long do I have to use my AT-HM funding?

In most cases AT-HM funding is available for 12 months from signing your service agreement. People with progressive conditions such as Parkinson's or motor neurone disease automatically receive longer. Don't let the window close on equipment that would change your nights.

Want to know where you stand? Call 1300 975 337 (1300 9 SLEEP) or send us an enquiry — or read the full Support at Home funding guide. We'll help you and your provider get the paperwork moving.