Support services are those organisations or people who help you. They might be paid support workers and community health services who visit you to help you with daily living.

This does not mean that you have to live in the same street or suburb as the organisation or person from whom you receive support. It merely means that you might need to factor travel into your budget for support. Or, if you live in the country, you might get family, friends or neighbours to help you.

Even if you live in a larger city, there will be some areas where it is easier to find support staff.

Personal Story

I live near a university and find it easy to find staff who are willing to work short hours at the times when I require help.

From this personal story, you can see that where you live might influence the availability of casual workers and how much flexibility you can achieve.

When you are thinking about moving out of home, there are some things you should consider. These include the fact that whilst living at home you will be getting a fair bit – perhaps a lot or all – of your personal support and assistance provided in an informal way by family or friends.

Therefore, you will need to consider how to arrange these supports when you are no longer living at home. You may have to apply, and wait quite a while, for a funding package from the Government. Or you might have compensation and be able to organise these supports for yourself.