What Is the Restorative Care Pathway? Who It Suits and How It Works
26 October 2026
The Restorative Care Pathway is a short-term pathway in the Support at Home program. An episode focuses on intensive allied health and/or nursing services, aimed at maintaining or regaining function and reducing or preventing further decline.
What the restorative care pathway is
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing describes the Restorative Care Pathway as a short-term pathway in the Support at Home program. Participants set goals based on their assessed needs and receive services to help reach them.
My Aged Care puts it in everyday terms: it is short-term care to help you regain function and stay independent through coordinated allied health and/or nursing services. It lowers the need for more intensive ongoing services and helps you do the activities you enjoy.
If you want the wider picture first, our guide to what Support at Home is covers the program and where this pathway sits within it.
Who it may suit
An aged care assessment determines whether an older person needs short-term, targeted support through the pathway. The health department says a person may be eligible if:
They will be able to continue living at home without ongoing Support at Home services, or with no change to their ongoing services.
The pathway will likely address an issue that will improve from intensive, short-term clinical interventions through a multidisciplinary team of allied health and/or nursing professionals.
They are motivated and willing to set goals and actively take part in interventions to increase independence.
The assessment is where this is decided, so the guide to preparing for an aged care assessment is a useful place to start if you have not had one yet.
What an episode looks like
The department says each episode of restorative care provides a unit of funding of around $6,000 for up to 16 weeks of intensive services, separate to any ongoing Support at Home funding. My Aged Care states $6,179.40 per unit for people commencing on 1 October 2026.
The two sources describe the limits slightly differently, so both are set out here:
The department says participants can access 2 non-consecutive restorative care episodes, with a minimum of 3 months between each episode.
My Aged Care says the maximum is 2 units of funding over a 12-month period for people commencing on 1 October 2026.
The department also says an additional unit of funding may be available for eligible participants, providing up to $12,000 to use during an episode.
What it costs the person
Nursing and physiotherapy are examples of clinical supports, and the department says these are fully funded by the government and that participants cannot be asked to contribute to them.
Other services work differently. The department says participants must contribute to the cost of their independence and everyday living services, with the contribution level based on an income and assets assessment.
Things to know before you agree to an episode
The department states that there are no options to temporarily stop services in this pathway, and that regardless of personal circumstances, an episode is limited to 16 consecutive weeks. That makes timing worth thinking about with whoever helps you plan.
Some questions worth raising at your assessment or support plan review:
What goal would we be working towards, and how will we know it has been reached?
Which allied health or nursing professionals would be involved?
What happens to my usual services during the episode and afterwards?
Which services would I need to contribute to, and roughly how much?
These are prompts for your own conversation, not a checklist from the program.
Where everyday support fits
Restorative care is clinical in focus, and an episode is time-limited. Some people also look for practical help at home, such as company or getting out and about, around an episode. Care seekers and coordinators can browse and search the support-worker pool.
CareVicinity is the marketplace: it does not employ clinicians and does not provide, deliver, supervise, manage or clinically oversee any service, including nursing or allied health.
If you are exploring everyday help alongside any funded program, the receive care page explains how care seekers find independent support workers.
FAQ
What is a restorative care pathway? It is a short-term pathway in the Support at Home program that focuses on intensive allied health and/or nursing services, aimed at maintaining or regaining function and reducing or preventing further decline.
What are examples of restorative care? The department names nursing and physiotherapy as examples of clinical supports. Beyond that, what is delivered depends on the goals a participant sets from their assessed needs.
How much is a restorative care pathway? The department says each episode provides a unit of funding of around $6,000 for up to 16 weeks. My Aged Care gives $6,179.40 per unit for people commencing on 1 October 2026.
How long does it last? An episode is limited to 16 consecutive weeks, and the department says services cannot be temporarily stopped.
Who decides if it is right for me? An aged care assessment determines whether an older person needs short-term, targeted support through the pathway.