NZ Government Content

Help at home

The person you care for may need home help or help with personal care.

Examples include essential cleaning, laundry or making a meal (home help) or helping with showering, eating, getting in or out of bed and dressing (personal care). This is sometimes called home and community support.

This section describes home help and personal care services funded by the Ministry of Health and District Health Boards (DHBs). If the person you support is a client of ACC, they also may receive ACC-funded home help and personal care services.

Who may receive this service?

The person you care for must be unable to do these things due to their disability or health needs. They must also have no reasonably available support to help with the tasks (friends or family members etc).

A Community Services Card is needed to get funded home help (cleaning etc). The person you support does not need a Community Services Card to get personal care (showering, eating, dressing etc).

How the person you support gets help

The needs of the person you support will have to be assessed to get funded help at home. How you get this help differs slightly depending on your situation.

Who to contact

Type of need/disability Who to ask 
Younger person (usually under age 65 years) with a physical, intellectual or sensory (vision or hearing) disability that is likely to last for at least six months  Contact a Needs Assessment and Service Co-ordination (NASC) organisation. 
Younger person (usually under age 65 years) with chronic health needs (like cancer, diabetes etc)  Talk to your family doctor who may refer you to a NASC.  
Older person, aged 65 years and over, or person aged 50-64 years who has similar needs  Contact a NASC organisation. 
A person with mental health, alcohol or other drug issues  Talk to your family doctor. In some places, a NASC organisation may be able to help you or contact your DHB mental health service case manager (if you have one). 
A person with an injury  Contact ACC . 

If you get stuck

In the first instance, you should talk to your local NASC organisation, your doctor (if you have an illness-related need), your local DHB mental health service case manager (if you have one) or ACC (if you or the person you support has had an injury).

If this doesn't work, you can contact:

  • the Nationwide Advocacy Service at the Health and Disability Commissioner's office
  • Disability Support Services for younger people, 0800 DSD MOH (0800 373 664) 
  • the Ministry of Health.