This research investigated consumers’ experiences of self-managing a home care package. Thirty participants were asked to describe what was good about self-management and what was not good. Participants were also asked for suggestions about ways to improve self-management. Participants were also asked to compare experiences of self-management with the traditional model of home care (i.e. provider-managed).

All participants described self-management as improving their quality of life. They were able to obtain more hours of support through self-management than provider-managed. They were also able to choose who worked in their home, when they came and what they did. Participants also described having some 'control' over what they purchased with their home care package. They received what they genuinely needed rather than what a provider deemed necessary.