Stroke recovery at home: therapy, equipment and who pays
Last updated 20 August 2026
The short version
- Under Support at Home, allied health is clinical care - free for everyone: physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, podiatry and dietetics at home, with no contribution.
- The Restorative Care Pathway - around $6,000 over up to 16 weeks, extendable to around $12,000 - is purpose-built for regaining function after a setback, and its funding sits on top of the ordinary budget.
- Wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs, rails and ramps come from the separate AT-HM scheme ($500 / $2,000 / $15,000 tiers), not out of the care budget.
- The Stroke Foundation’s StrokeLine 1800 787 653 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm AET) is staffed by health professionals and is free.
Therapy at home: what the program funds
Stroke recovery runs on therapy, and this is where Support at Home is at its most generous. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, podiatry, dietetics and nursing all sit on the service list as clinical care - 100% government-funded, no means test, no contribution, for everyone. For stroke survivors that means strength and gait work with a physio, OT retraining for dressing and kitchen tasks, and - often overlooked - speech pathology for aphasia and for swallowing difficulties, all deliverable at home from the quarterly budget.
One boundary to know: Support at Home can’t pay for, or top up, Medicare services. Hospital outpatient rehab and GP chronic disease management plan sessions stay in the health system, and the program won’t cover their gap fees - but it can fund its own allied health visits at home, which for many people is the more practical arrangement anyway. Alongside therapy, the ordinary budget can fund personal care, transport to appointments, and household help with the usual means-tested contributions.
The Restorative Care Pathway: a strong fit after rehab ends
Hospital and ambulatory rehab programs end while recovery is still happening. That gap is what the Restorative Care Pathway exists for: around $6,000 over up to 16 weeks of allied-health and nursing-led support, coordinated by a restorative care partner around specific, restorable goals - walking to the letterbox, showering unaided, cooking again. It can be extended to around $12,000 in total through a Support Plan Review, and the funding is separate from the quarterly budget, so ongoing services aren’t sacrificed to pay for the therapy block.
For many stroke survivors the sequence looks like: hospital → health-system rehab → Transition Care (if referred from hospital) → ongoing Support at Home, with Restorative Care Pathway episodes when there’s a clear goal to chase. The pathway can be accessed from home via a My Aged Care assessment or a Support Plan Review - no new hospital admission needed. Limits: up to two episodes in 12 months, a 90-day gap between them, and it can’t run during Transition Care. If the stroke was recent and your person is still in hospital, read coming home from hospital first - the order you do things in matters.
Sorting out care after a stroke?
Tell us where recovery is up to and what therapy is ending, and we’ll help you work out what to ask for - pathway, assessment or equipment - and which providers near you deliver allied health at home.
Equipment and home changes: the AT-HM scheme
Mobility equipment doesn’t come out of the care budget. The Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme is a separate pool with three tiers: up to $500 a year for simple items with no assessment needed; up to $2,000 a year for equipment that needs professional advice - many walkers and rollators, shower chairs, transfer aids, bed rails; and up to $15,000 for complex equipment and significant home modifications, which requires a prescription from a health professional, typically an occupational therapist. Home modifications for one-sided weakness - grab rails, ramps, bathroom changes, lever taps - go through the same scheme, and spending here has no effect on the quarterly care budget.
Function often keeps improving for months after a stroke - the wheelchair that’s essential in March may be gathering dust by spring. AT-HM funding can be used to rent or borrow equipment through loan schemes, not just buy it. Ask the OT or provider about hiring first, and buy once needs have settled.
Two free Stroke Foundation resources are worth knowing: StrokeLine, 1800 787 653 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm AET), staffed by nurses and allied health professionals who are experienced with aphasia, with an interpreter service available; and EnableMe (enableme.org.au), an online community with practical fact sheets. The foundation also runs an eight-week Living Well After Stroke program.
Common questions
Does the government pay for physio at home after a stroke?
Yes. Physiotherapy under Support at Home is clinical care - 100% government-funded with no contribution, delivered at home from the quarterly budget. A Restorative Care Pathway episode can add a more intensive therapy block on top. As a benchmark, providers charge the budget around $194 an hour for physio, so it pays to plan sessions with the care partner.
How much therapy can we actually get?
It depends on the assessed classification - each has a quarterly budget, and therapy hours draw on it (free to you, but not unlimited). A Restorative Care Pathway episode adds around $6,000, extendable to around $12,000, specifically for restorative therapy without touching the ordinary budget. If needs have grown since assessment, request a Support Plan Review.
Who pays for the wheelchair and the ramp?
The AT-HM scheme - separate funding, not the care budget. Simple aids up to $500 need no assessment; most wheelchairs, walkers and shower equipment fit the $2,000 tier with professional advice; complex equipment and home modifications like ramps and bathroom rails use the $15,000 tier with an OT prescription. A means-tested contribution applies as an independence service.
Can we get speech therapy for aphasia?
Yes - speech pathology is on the service list as clinical care, free of contribution, and covers both communication (aphasia) and swallowing (dysphagia) work. If phone calls are hard, StrokeLine (1800 787 653) is experienced with aphasia and can help you plan what to ask for.
What’s the difference between rehab and restorative care?
Rehab is health care - hospital or outpatient programs funded by the health system and Medicare, usually in the early months. The Restorative Care Pathway is aged care - a funded block of therapy at home, aimed at regaining everyday function, typically after formal rehab ends. One follows the other; Support at Home can’t pay Medicare gaps, but it runs its own therapy at home.
Sources
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, health.gov.au - Restorative Care Pathway and AT-HM scheme, Support at Home program, accessed August 2026.
- Support at Home Program Manual - service list (allied health as clinical care) and short-term pathways.
- Stroke Foundation, strokefoundation.org.au - StrokeLine and survivor resources, accessed August 2026.
- EnableMe, enableme.org.au - stroke recovery fact sheets, accessed August 2026.