NDIS participants in residential aged care: who pays for a robotic pet?
459 NDIS participants under 65 lived in residential aged care in the June 2026 quarter. How NDIS and aged care rules split the cost of a robotic pet.
If you are an NDIS participant living in an aged care home, the home provides social activities and emotional support to its residents, and the NDIS supports lists class those services as generally not NDIS supports. A robotic pet bought for you alone, to meet a need that comes from your disability, can still be considered as low-cost assistive technology from your own NDIS plan. Ask the home what it already offers before anyone buys.
Who this applies to
This page is for NDIS participants who live in a residential aged care home, and for the families, support coordinators and lifestyle staff around them. Most are younger people. The NDIS Quarterly Report for April to June 2026 (Easy Read version) says 459 participants under 65 lived in residential aged care that quarter, down from 497 the quarter before, and 62 young people had a goal to move out.
The NDIA’s guide to residential aged care says it is committed to no participant under 65 living in residential aged care unless there are exceptional circumstances or it is their will and preference. A participant under 65 can still choose to stay in the home and keep using their plan for NDIS supports.
Age matters for who stays on the scheme. Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, a person stops being a participant when they begin permanent, funded aged care services and that first happens after they turn 65. A participant who moved into the home before 65 is in a different position from one who moves in after 65, so check your own case with your my NDIS contact. For the choice people face at 65, read what changes for a participant at 65.
One practical difference: the NDIS says a young person in residential aged care has a person at the NDIA as their my NDIS contact, rather than a community partner.
What the aged care home is expected to provide
The new Aged Care Act, the Aged Care Act 2024, started on 1 November 2025. My Aged Care’s page on what aged care homes provide lists the services residents can expect. Several are close to what a robotic pet is used for:
- Social activities. The home will provide a variety of social activities, in the home and in the community, which can be tailored to each resident’s needs, wishes and abilities.
- Emotional support. Therapy services include emotional support and help with adjusting to life in the home.
- Support for cognitive impairment. Health management includes individual attention and support for cognitive impairments such as dementia.
- A personal room. Residents can personalise their room with small items such as photos or keepsakes.
Dementia Support Australia’s guidance describes robotic or plush animals, which it calls simulated pets, being used in engagement or leisure activities for people living with moderate to severe dementia. Some homes may already have one, and the resident may be able to use it without a separate purchase.
When a robotic pet can still be an NDIS support
The NDIS supports lists are set by the NDIS Supports Transitional Rules 2024. Schedule 2, item 22, covers aged care. It says the following services provided by a residential aged care service are generally not NDIS supports:
- daily help with cleaning, cooking and laundry
- personal care, including bathing, dressing and going to the toilet
- access to health practitioner services, clinical care and therapies
- social and emotional support services and entertainment
There is one exception. For a participant who entered residential aged care before 65, those services are not excluded if the NDIA and the Department of Health and Aged Care (now the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing) have an agreement that the NDIA should fund them. The same item also lists aged care fees, including basic daily care fees, refundable accommodation deposits and extra service fees. The NDIA’s guide gives the daily care fee for meals, cleaning and heating as an example of a cost NDIS funding cannot pay.
What is left is a support for one person’s disability. The general NDIS tests still apply: the item must relate to the disability, help with a plan goal, be something NDIS rules can fund, be safe, and be backed by evidence. Read can the NDIS fund a robotic pet for the full conditions.
| Situation | Who is likely to pay |
|---|---|
| The lifestyle team uses robotic pets in group activities | The aged care home, as part of its social and emotional support |
| A resident’s OT recommends a pet to settle distress linked to their disability, for one person, tied to a plan goal | The participant’s NDIS plan, as low-cost AT under $1,500, if it meets the rules |
| The family wants a pet mainly as company or entertainment | Generally a private purchase, because the supports lists generally exclude toys |
| Daily care fees or accommodation costs | Not the NDIS |
Ask the home’s lifestyle team first
Before buying, ask the home:
- Do you already have robotic pets, and can this resident use one regularly?
- Can a resident keep their own pet in their room?
- Who will change batteries or charge it, and who will clean it?
- How do you clean items that more than one resident handles?
- Can the pet be noted in the resident’s care plan, with when and how it is used?
- What should staff do if another resident wants it or it causes an argument?
The answers often settle the question. If the home uses robotic pets with all residents, a separate NDIS purchase may be hard to justify. If the resident has a specific, disability-related need the group program does not meet, the case for their own pet is clearer.
Paperwork when the pet is for one resident
Keep the record simple and specific to the person:
- The goal. One sentence linking the pet to a goal in the current NDIS plan, such as staying settled in the evenings.
- The evidence. A short note from the participant’s OT or another allied health professional. Our goal link and OT recommendation checklist lists what to include.
- The invoice. Addressed to the participant, kept by the participant, nominee or plan manager.
- The home’s record. Ask staff to note in the care plan that the pet belongs to the resident and how it should be used.
- A review. Note how the resident responds over the first few weeks and bring that to the next check-in.
Australian specialist retailers list the companion pup at $269 to $315 and the companion cat at $259 to $300, so both sit under the low-cost AT limit. Families of younger people with dementia will find more on choosing a pet in our page on robotic pets for younger people with dementia.
Planning a move out of aged care
The NDIA says a participant under 65 in an aged care home can explore other options, and that the first step is to talk to their my NDIS contact or support coordinator. They can discuss options, connect the person with the NDIA’s specialist planners and arrange the supports needed to move out safely. NDIS supports continue while the person explores options. The NDIA also says finding the right home and living supports can take time.
A robotic pet bought as the participant’s own assistive technology is part of their daily routine, so mention it when planning the move. Keep the invoice and the therapist’s note together so it is clear the pet was bought for the participant. If a supplier quote would help with planning, request a quote for a robotic pet for a resident on the NDIS.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use my NDIS plan to buy a robotic pet while living in aged care?
Possibly. Participants under 65 who live in an aged care home can still use their plan for NDIS supports. A robotic pet bought for you as low-cost assistive technology has to meet the usual tests: it relates to your disability, supports a goal in your plan, is safe and is backed by evidence such as a therapist's note. It cannot replace the social and emotional support the home provides to all residents.
- Does the aged care home have to provide robotic pets?
No rule we have found requires a home to supply robotic pets. My Aged Care says homes provide social activities tailored to each resident's needs, wishes and abilities, emotional support, and individual support for cognitive impairments such as dementia. A home may meet those needs in other ways. Ask the lifestyle team what they use and whether a robotic pet could be part of the resident's care plan.
- Can my NDIS plan pay the aged care home's fees?
No. The NDIA says NDIS funding cannot be used for some aged care costs, including the daily care fee that covers meals, cleaning and heating. The NDIS supports lists also name basic daily care fees, refundable accommodation deposits and extra service fees as generally not NDIS supports.
- Who looks after the pet's batteries and cleaning in aged care?
Agree it with the home before the pet arrives. The companion cat and pup each take 4 C cell batteries, and MetaCat is recharged with a USB-C cable. Ask staff to write in the care plan who replaces batteries or charges the pet, who wipes or brushes it, and how it is cleaned if other residents handle it.
- Who do I contact about moving out of aged care?
Start with your my NDIS contact or your support coordinator. For a young person in residential aged care, the NDIS says the my NDIS contact is a person at the NDIA. The NDIA also has a specialist aged care team, which can be emailed at aged.care.advisory.team@ndis.gov.au, and it asks families to connect early if a young person is at risk of entering residential aged care.