Assisted living in Australia: options at home and Supported Independent Living

Assisted living is one of the most-searched terms in Australian aged care.

The term comes from the United States, where assisted living facilities are a defined step between independent housing and a nursing home. In Australia, the same need is met differently: through in-home aged care, retirement living with services, residential aged care, and, for people living with disability, Supported Independent Living under the NDIS.

Understanding which of these actually fits your situation can save months of confusion, and in many cases it means discovering that the support you are picturing can be delivered in the home you already live in.

Here is what assisted living means, and how to work out which option is right for you or someone you love.

What is assisted living?

Assisted living is best understood as a spectrum of support rather than a type of building. At one end, help is delivered in your own home, from a few hours of domestic assistance a week through to round-the-clock care. In the middle sits retirement living, private communities for older people who are largely independent. At the other end is residential aged care, what many people still call a nursing home, for those who can no longer live at home safely.

When people search for assisted living for seniors or independent assisted living, what they usually want is the middle ground: keeping their own space, routines and independence, with reliable help for the things that have become harder. That middle ground is most often delivered as in-home aged care, because government funding is deliberately designed to help older Australians stay at home for as long as possible.

Assisted living at home: support without moving

For most older Australians, the first and best form of assisted living is having assistance brought to where you already live. In-home aged care can cover almost everything: domestic assistance with cleaning, laundry, and meals; personal care; medication support; nursing; transport to appointments; social support; and overnight or even 24-hour care where needs are higher.

The support builds around your life rather than the other way around. It can start with a couple of hours a week and grow as needs change, guided by a personalised care plan that reflects your goals, routines and preferences. Our guide to home care for older people in their own homes walks through what this looks like day-to-day.

Funding follows the same logic. Eligible older Australians can access the government's Support at Home program, which provides a budget towards care at home, while entry-level help is available through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme. If you are not yet eligible or want to start straight away, private home care has no waitlist or assessment process.

Retirement living and residential aged care: what is the difference?

These two are often confused, and the difference matters because one is a lifestyle choice and the other is a care service.

Retirement living, such as a retirement village or over-55s community, is private housing for older people who are largely independent. You buy or lease your home within the community and enjoy shared facilities and social life. Retirement villages are not part of the aged care system: the government does not subsidise them, they are regulated by state and territory laws rather than the Aged Care Act, and any care is arranged separately. In fact, many village residents receive in-home aged care services in their village unit, exactly as they would in a family home.

Residential aged care is a government-regulated care service delivered in purpose-built aged care homes, for people whose needs can no longer be met safely at home. It provides accommodation, everyday living support, and clinical care in one place, is government-subsidised, and requires an assessment through My Aged Care. It can be permanent, or short-term as respite care.

When people search for aged care facilities near me or nursing homes near me, it is usually residential aged care they mean. But it is worth knowing that an assessment is required first, and that for many people the same assessment opens the door to substantial support at home instead, often delaying or avoiding the move altogether.

Supported Independent Living: assisted living under the NDIS

For people living with disability, the closest thing Australia has to assisted living is Supported Independent Living, or SIL, funded through the NDIS. SIL is personal support for people with higher support needs who need some level of help at home all the time, generally the equivalent of support being available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Two things about SIL are commonly misunderstood. First, SIL funds the support workers, not the housing: rent, groceries and utilities remain the person's own responsibility, and housing itself is funded separately if at all. Second, while SIL is often delivered in a shared home with other NDIS participants, it can also support someone to live alone. The goal is always the same, building skills and independence rather than simply doing things for the person.

SIL sits at the higher-needs end of a wider set of NDIS home and living supports. Many people living with disability need far less than 24-hour support, and for them, in-home disability support services, help with daily tasks, personal care, community access and skill-building, may be the better fit. Our article on planning independent living with disability support covers how to think through that decision.

Respite care: assisted living for a short time

Assisted living does not have to be a permanent arrangement. Respite care provides short-term support so that a person is cared for while their usual Carer takes a break, recovers from illness, travels, or simply recharges.

Respite care services come in two main forms. In-home respite care brings a Support Worker into the person's home to keep routines and surroundings familiar for a few hours, overnight, or longer. Residential respite provides a short stay in an aged care home. In-home respite is often the gentler option, particularly for people living with dementia, because nothing about their environment changes. You can read more about how it works on our respite for Carers page.

How to choose the right assisted living option

A practical way to decide is to start with three questions. What help is actually needed day to day, and how often? How important is staying in the current home, and can it be made safe with support or modifications? And what funding is available, government-subsidised, private, or a mix?

For most older Australians, the answer starts with an assessment through My Aged Care (call 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au), which determines eligibility for everything from entry-level home support through to residential care. For people living with disability, the pathway runs through the NDIS. And whichever route applies, your local Just Better Care team can help you understand the options, explain what your funding covers, and build support around the life you want to keep living.

Frequently asked questions