What Is Companion Care for the Elderly? What It Includes and How to Arrange It

Aged CareUpdated 11 November 2026 · 10 min read

Home » What Is Companion Care for the Elderly? What It Includes and How to Arrange It

What is companion care for elderly people? It is support that gives an older person regular company and helps them stay part of community life. That can mean a friendly visit at home, a walk, a coffee or someone to go with them to an outing or an appointment.

“Companion care” is an everyday name, not a legal one. In Australia’s aged care rules, this kind of help sits in a service type called social support and community engagement. This guide explains what that service list includes, what it leaves out, and the ways Sydney families can arrange companion care for a parent or partner.

What is companion care for elderly people: quick summary

Companion care means support that meets an older person’s need for company, social contact and a part in community life.
The Aged Care Rules 2025 list it under social support and community engagement, which includes individual social support, accompanied activities, cultural support and digital support.
Accompanied activities can include going with the person to medical or other appointments. However, the cost of the appointment itself is not included.
For several of these services, the Rules exclude fees for taking part in an activity, such as tickets, accommodation and membership fees.
Personal care, nursing care and transport are separate service types in the same national list.
In 2022, 36.4% of Australians aged 65 and over living in households said they would like more contact with family or friends living outside their household (ABS).
You can ask My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 about an assessment, look into volunteer visitors, or arrange companion care privately with a provider.

Companion care in plain English

Companion care is about company and connection. It is not hands-on personal care, such as help with hygiene, eating or moving around, and it is not nursing. Instead, a companion spends time with the person and helps them do the social things that matter to them.

For example, a companion might:

visit for a chat and a cup of tea at home
go for a walk, a coffee or a meal out with the person
go with them to the shops, a club, a place of worship or a community event
help them keep up a hobby or stay in touch with friends and family
help them learn to use a phone or tablet to video call family

These are examples, not a fixed list. What a companion actually does depends on the person, the service and what is agreed before support starts.

What companion care includes under the aged care rules

The Aged Care Rules 2025 set out the national list of aged care services. Section 8-80 covers social support and community engagement. Most services in it aim to meet a person’s need for social contact or company, or their participation in community life, including diverse cultural activities. The table below summarises the items closest to companion care.

Service in section 8-80	What the Rules describe
Individual social support	Support for one person, including finding services and activities, help to take part in social contact in person or online, and help with telephone and web-based check-in services.
Accompanied activities	Going with the person to meet their need for company or community life, or to attend medical or other appointments. The cost of the appointments is not included.
Cultural support	Culturally focused support, including help to access translating and interpreting services and help to attend cultural and community events.
Digital education and support	Help to use technology, such as paying bills online, accessing telehealth and connecting with digital social programs. Buying a smart device is not included.
Group social support	Support in a group setting with the same aim: social contact, company or community life.

Source: Aged Care Rules 2025, section 8-80, compilation of 19 October 2026. The same section also lists help to maintain personal affairs, which covers support with financial and legal affairs.

What companion care does not include

Knowing the limits helps you avoid surprises. Under the Rules, three things stand out.

Activity fees: for individual social support, accompanied activities and cultural support, the excluded costs are fees for taking part in an activity, such as tickets, accommodation and membership fees.
The appointment itself: a companion can go with the person to an appointment, but the cost of the appointment is not part of the service.
Other kinds of care: personal care, nursing care and transport each have their own service type in the national list, so they are not part of social support.

So if your parent needs help with hygiene or eating as well as company, you are really looking at two services. Ask each provider which services they offer and how they work together.

Why company matters for older Australians

Most older Australians do stay in touch with family and friends. In 2022, 75.7% of the 4.2 million Australians aged 65 and over living in households had seen family or friends from outside their home at least once a week in the previous three months. Even so, 36.4% said they would like more contact with family or friends living outside their household.

Getting out is not always easy, either. In the same ABS survey, 44.0% of older Australians said they had faced barriers to social and community activities in the previous three months. The most common were COVID-19 related reasons, their own condition or old age, and cost.

Loneliness is also measured. According to the ABS, 16% of people aged 65 and over reported often feeling very lonely in 2023, compared with 20% in 2003. Across all people aged 15 and over, the figure was 17%.

Is companion care right for your parent?

Every family is different. These questions can help you decide whether regular company would make a difference:

Does your parent live alone, or spend most days without company?
Have they stopped going to a club, a place of worship or the shops because getting there feels hard?
Do they mention missing friends, or wishing family visited more often?
Would they enjoy someone to walk with, cook with or share a hobby with?
Do you worry about them between your own visits?

Most importantly, ask your parent what they want, and give them a say in who visits.

How to arrange companion care

There are three main routes, and you can use more than one.

1. Ask My Aged Care about an assessment

For funded aged care, contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 about an eligibility assessment. Section 58 of the Aged Care Act 2024 sets the age rules for an aged care needs assessment: 65 or over, or 50 or over for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

An approved needs assessor then looks at the person’s care needs and reports which services they consider are needed. In the Rules, social support and community engagement is one of the service types that can be delivered under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). Transport for NSW describes CHSP as entry-level support to help older people stay at home and remain independent.

2. Look into volunteer visitors

The Aged Care Act 2024 defines an aged care volunteer visitor. This is a person who visits people accessing funded aged care services. The visits provide companionship, social support or friendship to people who are socially isolated or at risk of social isolation. They volunteer for, or are engaged by, an organisation that receives a grant under the Act.

The Aged Care Rules also say registered providers must allow and help a volunteer visitor’s access to the person. This applies at any time the person asks for or agrees to. In a home or community setting, this applies while services are being delivered. If your parent already receives funded aged care, ask their provider or My Aged Care whether a volunteer visitor is an option.

3. Arrange companion care privately

You can also arrange companion care directly with a provider and pay for it yourself. Before you agree, ask for the costs of the services in writing, including any travel or kilometre charges.

If the person is under 65 and has a disability, the NDIS may be the right scheme instead. Our guide to NDIS and aged care after 65 explains who stays on the NDIS and who moves to aged care.

Questions to ask a companion care provider

Whichever route you take, these questions help you compare providers:

Will the same worker visit each time, and can we meet them first?
Can my parent have a say in who supports them, such as a worker who shares a language or interest?
What can a visit include: time at home, outings, shopping, appointments, technology help?
Who pays for tickets, entry fees or a meal out during an outing?
How are travel and kilometre charges worked out if the worker drives?
Are visits available on weekends, and what happens if the usual worker is away?
How will you keep our family informed if something changes?

How to check the official definitions yourself

Service lists change, so it is worth knowing where to look:

The service list: open the Aged Care Rules 2025 on the Federal Register of Legislation and find section 8-80. Check the compilation date at the top, because the Rules are updated often.
Who can be assessed: section 58 of the Aged Care Act 2024 sets out who can have an aged care needs assessment. The volunteer visitor definition is in section 7.
The figures: the ABS publishes the social participation results in Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia and the loneliness measure in Measuring What Matters.
Your own situation: call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

Frequently asked questions

What is companion care for elderly people, in one sentence?

It is support that gives an older person regular company and helps them take part in community life.

Is companion care the same as personal care?

No. Personal care is a separate service type in the national list. Companion care is about company and connection, while personal care covers attendant care for essential daily needs such as mobility, eating and hygiene.

Can a companion take my parent to appointments?

Yes, going with someone to medical or other appointments is listed under accompanied activities. The cost of the appointment itself is not included, and transport is a separate service type.

Who pays for tickets or entry fees on an outing?

Under the Rules, fees for taking part in an activity, such as tickets, accommodation and membership fees, are excluded costs for these services. Therefore, agree with the provider who pays before the outing.

Can a companion help with technology?

Yes. Digital education and support covers help to use technology, for example to pay bills online, use telehealth or join digital social programs. Buying the device is not included.

Are there volunteer visitors for older people?

Yes, for people accessing funded aged care. The Aged Care Act 2024 describes aged care volunteer visitors as people who visit to provide companionship, social support or friendship to those who are socially isolated or at risk of it. Ask My Aged Care or your aged care provider what is available.

Can we choose the companion?

Ask each provider whether your parent can have a say in who visits, and what happens when that worker is not available.

How do I start companion care for a parent in Sydney?

Talk with your parent first about what they would enjoy. Then call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 about an assessment, or contact a provider directly if you plan to arrange it privately.

How Centre of Hope can help

Centre of Hope provides companionship and social support for older people across Sydney. That means friendly company at home, accompanied outings and help to stay connected with the people, places and interests that matter to you. It can include shopping assistance, walks, coffee and meals out, and support to attend clubs, groups and community activities.

Support is available on weekdays and weekends, subject to worker availability, and you have a say in who supports you. Transport arrangements and any kilometre charges are discussed beforehand. Our aged care price list is being finalised, and we will always talk you through the costs of your agreed services before support starts.

This guide explains the national aged care system. It is not a description of how Centre of Hope’s services are arranged. If one of the options we discuss is one of our own services, we tell you plainly. We also talk through the alternatives and leave the decision with you. To talk it through, call us on 0432 250 900 or contact our team.