The new My Aged Care End of Life Pathway (EOLP)
Tiffany Button, Aged Care Project Worker, Palliative Care Victoria
How is the EOLP working in practice?
The new My Aged Care Support at Home system includes an EOLP which provides $25,000 of funding for a 3 month period (which can be extended to 16 weeks). Eligibility criteria involves a medical practitioner (or Nurse Practitioner) signing a form which states the person only has 3 months to live and spends at least 50% of their time in bed or a chair (which is measured by a score of 40 or less on a validated tool, the AKRS). The aim is to help people be cared for at home in the last months of life.
The EOLP has been available since November 2025 and those who have been on the EOLP have shown us that the EOLP has the potential to work well. However it is complex and there is lots of work still to do to ensure people have access. Many providers are still learning about what palliative care means and training staff to be able to provide services for people in the last months of life. In some areas (particularly rural areas) there are no providers who can provide these services. Hopefully this will improve over time as more providers feel confident and equipped to deliver EOLP services.
The EOLP provides an opportunity for people to have important end of life conversations and discuss palliative care. There are also clear Standards of care (related to palliative care) that providers are required to meet. This is a very positive step forward in helping normalise and increase access to palliative care.
Top tips for the EOLP:
- Get in the My Aged Care system early to ensure that you have had a means test
The EOLP is working better for those who are already in the My Aged Care system and already have a Support at Home provider. People in this situation have reported a smooth and fast transition to the EOLP and relevant services. More importantly, these people have already had a means test so they are charged the appropriate co-contribution for services. If you have not had a means test assessment from Services Australia, you will be charged at the highest rate of co-contribution for services (this is around 85% of the cost). Many people currently receiving Community Home Support Package (CHSP) services have not completed a means test and you cannot claim this back later down the track (following a means test), so it is important to check and try and complete one ahead of time.
- When choosing a provider, ask about what EOLP services they can deliver.
When someone receives confirmation of any level of Support at Home and are choosing a provider, think ahead. At some point most people will require the EOLP, so ask providers what care they can provide under the EOLP. Therefore when someone becomes eligible for the EOLP, it will be simple to step up the level of care required. Consider what services might be of most benefit to you as you decline and find out whether those services are available. It is also worth asking the provider if the EOLP services they provide are ‘in-house’ or are ‘brokered’ through other services. Brokering can increase costs and reduce efficiency in care.
- Ask your health care team questions about your prognosis and timing of deterioration
Health professionals do not always want to raise difficult conversations around prognosis and timing of death. Therefore, they may not suggest the EOLP or may suggest it too late for there to be maximum benefit. Whilst estimating the last 3 months of life is not always accurate, there usually are signs that illness is advancing and further deterioration is likely. It can be helpful for people to raise the issue themselves with the health professional to encourage this honest discussion to occur. A good way to raise this is by asking questions around capability “How long before I will ….. need help with showering / be unable to walk 10 meters / be spending a large amount of the day in bed or a chair?”. You may want to ask a direct questions such as “I want to remain at home for my last months of life (if possible), when do you think I should apply for the EOLP? What services am I likely to require to remain at home?”
- Getting the timing right
It is important not to delay the EOLP but there is also a risk of getting it too early. You can only access the EOLP once (with no breaks) and any unspent funds get returned. If a person commences the EOLP too early (i.e. during an acute illness) and their health stabilises, they can’t access the services again when they need, later down the track. Discuss with your health care team whether they are clear about you meeting the criteria. Consider what services and benefits you are hoping to achieve with the EOLP, and if you're currently able to get your day-to-day care needs met with your existing funding classification, consider whether you would be better off waiting, particularly where your prognosis may be harder to determine.
- Your social supports are very important if you want to stay at home
Even with the EOLP funding and community palliative care (where involved), people will need a family carer in order to stay at home for the last months of life. The funding is not enough for full-time care. Therefore, make sure your social supports (main family members or friends involved in your care) are well supported. This may mean using some of the funding to give primary carers a break and ensuring they have access to information and support for them to manage the role (such as the CarerHelp website).
- Individual services – shop around
You may find there are some providers who have a long waitlist for services or experience greater difficultly accessing them (for example, some allied health services). In these situations, you may find that you can access some services faster privately or through other services.
The new My Aged Care Support at Home system (compared to the previous Commonwealth Home Support Packages) is more ‘care focused’ and less ‘lifestyle focused’. People may want to consider whether it is financially better for them to privately finance services such as cleaning or gardening (where there is a higher co-contribution) and utilise the Support at Home for care services where there is no (or little) co-contribution required.