Some residents arrive at the meeting with notebooks. “I’ve sat in where the residents have done it themselves, and they’re taking notes and they’ve come with questions,” says Kate Campbell, who works in Australian Unity’s Community Living platform. She is describing the transition meetings for the Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF).
Reactions vary. Some residents are excited to build their own package. For others, familiar services now sit under a new name, and change is hard. “It was a lot of reassurance, but a lot of education,” Campbell says.
The biggest plus residents mention, she says, is “having that freedom”.
Two packages, plus à la carte
Australian Unity offers an essentials package and a broader signature package. Every service within each can also be bought separately, on demand. What’s available differs by home, depending on geography and location.
The design started with the old extra and additional services model. The provider looked at which items residents used most and wanted to keep. Some, such as furniture, could not carry across, Campbell says.
Pricing went to a consultant. Australian Unity supplied its spending and staff hourly rates, and the consultant’s formula did the rest. It was “very structured”, she says. The aim was to be able to “evidence how we’ve come up with the costing framework”.
Telling residents early
The Aged Care Act reforms brought complexity and different fees, and residents needed to know what to do before 31 October 2026. Communication began around June 2025, with newsletters, plus residents had a vote and input on the names of the program. Roadshows ran at every home, with meetings for residents and their families. Letters, more newsletters and regular resident meetings followed.
The questions posed to residents were practical:
- What changes?
- Which documents do I sign?
- What are my options?
As a piece of change management, HELF dishes up challenges, but it also gives providers an opportunity to review and refine what they offer.
The part leaders underestimated
Internally, the rollout looked manageable at first. “We went, yep, it’ll be fine,” Campbell says. It became one of the biggest parts of the reform. “There were a lot of evolving components that you don’t realise.”
Staff had to be brought along too. “You’ve got to bring them on the journey as well as our residents and supporters,” Campbell says. Keeping teams positive through a challenging period was part of the job.
Under the old system everyone had the same additional services. Now entitlements differ, and carers need to know quickly who has what.
Campbell says the goal was to make the program, “the least impactful for our carers as possible”. It also had to work discreetly and with dignity for residents, which is something she calls out for other providers to be aware of.
Australian Unity reports little difference in how homes received or implemented the change. Campbell credits a structured approach: packages tailored for some homes, drop-in support sessions, and an on-site person supporting the program.
Early numbers
New residents have had access since 1 November 2025. Many started small, saw what was on offer, then upgraded, Campbell says. She puts the transition of existing residents at “probably 75 to 80% done”. She says the program was “pretty much 98% ready” on 1 November.
These are Australian Unity’s own figures. Campbell says other providers she speaks to are at different stages, and some didn’t have their offering up and running. It’s still early days of HELF and they’ve “had to make pivots along the way”, whilst the rules are still changing. The full 12-month picture is yet to come.
They’ve already started collecting valuable feedback through resident and supporter surveys, forms in every home, email, letters and conversations. All of it is recorded and reviewed. Campbell calls this “one of our strongest points”, and says it will shape the program as it grows.
Advice for other providers
Communication, first. Have a solid plan. Write FAQ documents for staff, and separate ones for residents and supporters. Then work out how the package runs inside the home.
For boards, two details in Campbell’s experience stand out: the costing can be evidenced, and carers need tools to know quickly who is entitled to what, so it doesn’t impact the flow of care.
