Make Mum and Dad’s funding go further with smarter rate choices

If you are helping Mum or Dad set up Support at Home services, it can be hard to know which provider really offers the best value. Everyone talks about quality and compassion. Fewer people talk clearly about hourly rates, fees and how many real care hours your parents will actually receive.

This guide gives you a simple plan to compare options, choose services and avoid missed care, so you can feel confident you have found the best value Support at Home provider for your family.

Why rates matter more than you think

Support at Home funding arrives as a quarterly budget. From that pool, each provider:

• Sets hourly rates for services

• Charges care management and administration fees

• Decides how much support you receive with planning and booking services

If hourly rates and fees sit at the high end of the market, Mum and Dad’s funding runs out sooner. That often means:

• Shorter visits than they really need

• Fewer total hours across the quarter

• Extra out-of-pocket costs to keep the same level of support

Two families with the same funding can have very different outcomes simply because one chooses a best value Support at Home provider that keeps rates fair and fees lean.

Step 1: Map what Mum and Dad actually need

Before you compare pricing, get clear on what your parents need help with. Sit down together and list:

• Everyday tasks that feel hard or tiring, such as cleaning, laundry, shopping or cooking

• Personal care needs, such as showering, dressing or getting moving in the morning

• Health-related needs, such as nursing, allied health or wound care

• Social and wellbeing needs, such as getting out, seeing friends or attending appointments

This becomes your “shopping list” when you talk to providers. It stops you paying for services Mum and Dad do not want, and helps you see which provider can genuinely support their priorities.

Step 2: Compare providers on real hourly rates

Next, ask each provider for current pricing, not just a brochure description. Specifically request:

• Hourly rates for the services your parents will use most

• Any higher rates for evenings, weekends or public holidays

• Minimum visit lengths that might push up the effective hourly rate

• Call-out, travel or mileage charges

Then ask a simple question:

“If Mum and Dad used their whole quarterly budget on weekday domestic assistance, roughly how many hours would that buy with your rates”

This makes it much easier to see which option looks like the best value Support at Home provider in practice, not just on paper.

Step 3: Look closely at fees and what they include

Hourly rates tell only half the story. Provider fees can quietly absorb a big share of your parents’ funding before a single visit happens. Ask each provider to spell out:

• Regular care management fees

• Administration or statement fees

• Any fees for coordinating support workers you bring to the provider

Then ask what you actually get in return, such as:

• A dedicated care partner or contact person

• Regular check ins and budget reviews

• Help finding and verifying local support workers

• Easy ways to see what has been spent and what is left this quarter

A best value Support at Home provider keeps fees lean and links them clearly to useful support, not just “overheads”.

Step 4: Protect choice and control for your parents

Rates matter, but so do relationships. Mum and Dad need to feel comfortable with who comes into their home. When you talk to providers, ask:

• Can my parents choose their own support workers, including trusted locals

• How easy is it to change workers if the fit is not right

• Can family be involved in planning and decisions, with Mum or Dad’s consent

• How flexible are visit times and tasks from week to week

Providers who support choice and control help your parents feel respected, not managed.

Step 5: Avoid missed care by planning the quarter

Under Support at Home, unspent funding does not automatically roll over forever. If services are not booked and delivered, that support is effectively lost. To protect Mum and Dad from missed care, ask each provider:

• Will you help plan services across the quarter so we use what is available

• How will you warn us if Mum and Dad are under-using their budget

• How easy is it to add extra visits if there is funding left late in the quarter

A best value Support at Home provider treats missed care as missed opportunity and works with you to keep the budget active.

Why many families choose Trilogy Care

Trilogy Care is designed for families who want more from the same funding. Our self-managed model combines choice, transparency and strong support in the background.

With Trilogy Care, you and your parents can:

• Work with trusted local support workers at fair local rates

• Keep hourly rates sensible so funding stretches further

• Pay lean, transparent fees that are clearly explained

• Plan each quarter so more of the budget turns into real care hours

Mum and Dad stay in control of who supports them and when. You stay confident that their funding is working hard, not disappearing into high rates and unnecessary fees.

If you want their funding to go further, start with this simple plan. Map what they need, compare real hourly rates and fees, protect their choice and control, and choose a partner that helps you avoid missed care. In many cases, that path leads families to a best value Support at Home provider like Trilogy Care, where more of every dollar becomes time, attention and support for the people you love. Call us on 1300 459 190 to find out how improve your parent's care.