Financial help for aids and equipment

 

Aids and equipment can be essential for someone who needs care, and can make life easier and safer for carers. You can get help to choose and pay for the equipment you need, including alarms and monitors.

• Choosing equipment
• National equipment schemes
• State and territory equipment schemes
• Non-government equipment help
• How to get financial help for equipment

Choosing equipment

Useful equipment to help with moving, care or communication might include:

• a wheelchair or walker
• a hoist
• oxygen equipment
• an alarm or a monitoring system
• a speech-generating device

You can talk with your doctor or other health professionals about equipment that may help you. Independent Living Centres Australia also has a National Equipment Database that has information about aids and equipment options across Australia.

If you depend on medical equipment that needs an electricity supply, you should think about what you will do if the electricity goes off (for example, go to a friend or neighbour’s house, or use a generator). You should also talk with your energy company and let them know you are a ‘life support customer’, so they will warn you if your energy supply is going to go off.

National equipment schemes

The Australian Government has schemes to give you financial help for equipment. These are:

• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
• My Aged Care home care packages
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs Rehabilitation Appliances Program
• Continence Aids Payment Scheme
• Hearing Services Program
• Early intervention funding for children with disability or autism
• Workers compensation

You may also be able to get payments to help with the cost of running medical equipment at home, such as a dialysis machine or an oxygen concentrator.

State and territory equipment schemes

Each state and territory has an equipment scheme. Equipment is usually loaned to you free or at low cost. These schemes are often means-tested (to see if you can pay for the service yourself or will need help), and some states have waiting lists for equipment.

The schemes are:

• Australian Capital Territory – Oxygen and Equipment Services
• New South Wales – Aids and Equipment Program
• Northern Territory – Disability Equipment Program
• Queensland – Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme
• South Australia – Domiciliary Equipment Service
• Tasmania – TasEquip
• Victoria – Aids and Equipment Program
• Western Australia – Community Aids and Equipment Program

Non-government equipment help

Some nongovernment organisations provide equipment or information. For example:

• Technical Aid to the Disabled Australia – builds custom equipment or modifies devices
• Independent Living Centres Australia – has information about equipment that can help people to be more independent
• Spinal Cord Injuries Australia – has advice about equipment and assistive technology that can help people with spinal cord injuries
• Motor Neurone Disease Association FlexEquip – provides equipment for people with motor neurone disease or other neurological conditions
• Northcott Society – provides equipment to people in the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales 

How to get financial help for equipment

If you want to use a national scheme to get equipment

Visit the website you want:

• National Disability Insurance Scheme
• Continence Aids Payment Scheme
• My Aged Care home care packages
• Department of Veterans' Affairs Rehabilitation Appliances Program
• Hearing Services Program
• Early intervention funding for children with disability or autism
• Workers compensation

If you want to use a state or territory scheme to get equipment

Visit your state or territory website:

• Australian Capital Territory Oxygen and Equipment Services
• New South Wales Aids and Equipment Program
• Northern Territory Disability Equipment Program
• Queensland Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme
• South Australia Domiciliary Equipment Service
• Tasmania TasEquip
• Victoria Aids and Equipment Program
• Western Australia Community Aids and Equipment Program

If you want to use a nongoverment scheme to get equipment

Visit the website of the organisation you want:

• Technical Aid to the Disabled Australia
• FlexEquip
• Northcott Society

• Equipment
• Home help
• Regions
• Financial help