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Choosing the right cleaning or in home support service can feel overwhelming, especially if you are navigating NDIS supports, aged care services or a major life transition. Many people come to us unsure of what help they need, what is included, or whether professional cleaning is the right choice for their situation.

Over the years, these are the most common questions people ask us about professional cleaning services, deep cleaning, NDIS cleaning services and aged care cleaning support. We have answered them clearly and honestly to help you feel informed, confident and supported.

For many people, cleaning is just another household task. But for others, having someone enter their home and touch their belongings, move furniture or open cupboards can feel deeply unsettling.

This is where trauma informed cleaning comes in.

Trauma informed cleaning recognises that a home is not just a physical space. It holds memories, routines, emotions and sometimes experiences of loss, illness, violence or instability. A trauma informed cleaner works with care, consent and empathy, not just efficiency.

For people accessing NDIS cleaning services, aged care cleaning services, or other forms of in home support, the way cleaning is delivered matters just as much as the result.

When people think about cleaning, gardening or support work, they often think about tasks. Floors cleaned. Lawns maintained. Daily assistance completed. Jobs done and boxes ticked.

But in aged care and NDIS homes, these services are never just tasks. They are moments of trust, connection and care. They shape how safe someone feels in their own home. And that is why who you hire truly matters.

At Sistability, we deliver cleaning, gardening and support work with care at the centre. Not as transactions, but as people-first services grounded in dignity, respect and real community impact.

If you have ever wondered what it is really like to work in cleaning, gardening or support services, or you are thinking about a new job but not sure where to start, we would love to invite you to an upcoming information and employment event in Ballina.

On Wednesday 18 February 2026, Sistability is partnering with Local Jobs Program (DEWR) North Coast to host a relaxed, welcoming session designed to give people a clear and honest understanding of the work we do and the opportunities available.

This event is about opening the conversation. It is a chance to learn more, ask questions, meet real employers, and get a feel for whether this type of work might be right for you.

Australia’s aged care system has changed, and the Support at Home program is now the main way older Australians access government-funded care at home. It has replaced Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care, bringing services together under one clearer and more flexible system.

At the centre of this program is the Support at Home service list. This is a government-approved list that clearly outlines what services can be funded and how support can be tailored to suit individual needs.

Understanding this service list helps older people, families and carers know what support is available and how it can be used to stay safe, independent and comfortable at home.

Big life changes often start at home.

For older Australians and people living with disability, times of transition can feel overwhelming. This might include returning home from hospital, moving into supported accommodation, downsizing, or adjusting to new levels of support through NDIS or aged care services. Alongside paperwork, appointments, and emotional strain, the condition of the home can quietly add to stress.

This is where deep and specialised cleaning plays an important role. Not just to make a home look tidy, but to make it safer, healthier, and easier to move forward.

Caring for an ageing parent or a loved one with additional support needs is deeply personal and often overwhelming. While families are motivated by love and responsibility, the mental load that comes with navigating Australia’s aged care system can quietly build over time.

With the introduction of Support at Home (SaH), formerly known as Home Care Packages, many families are hopeful for a simpler and more flexible system. However, even positive change can bring confusion. New terminology, new processes, and new decisions can increase stress unless there is someone guiding you through it.

This is where SaH coordination makes a real difference.

As we get older, many parts of life naturally change, including the way we care for our homes. This doesn’t mean standards drop or that people stop caring. It means priorities shift toward what best supports health, safety, comfort, and independence.

A home doesn’t need to be spotless to be a healthy, supportive place to live. For older Australians, cleaning becomes less about appearances and more about doing what matters most.

Understanding why cleaning priorities change can help remove guilt, reduce pressure, and make it easier to accept support when it’s needed.

Summer in Northern NSW brings rapid growth, warm weather, and lush gardens, but it can also make outdoor maintenance feel overwhelming, especially in the heat and humidity.

For older Australians, people living with disability, and those supporting loved ones at home, keeping the garden tidy isn’t about appearances. It’s about safety, access, comfort, and dignity. A well-maintained garden helps people move around more confidently, reduces fall risks, and keeps outdoor spaces enjoyable rather than stressful.

The good news? Keeping your garden tidy during summer doesn’t have to mean heavy gardening or long, exhausting sessions. Here are some simple, realistic ways to manage outdoor spaces during the warmer months, without pushing your body too hard.

Summer in Northern NSW brings sunshine, humidity, and long warm days, but it also creates the perfect conditions for mould, bacteria, and odours to build up inside the home.

When the heat is on, deep cleaning isn’t about chasing a picture-perfect home. It’s about comfort, hygiene, airflow, and protecting health, especially for older Australians, people living with disability, and anyone with allergies or respiratory conditions.

Here are the five areas that matter most during a humid Northern NSW summer, and what to focus on when tackling a summer deep clean.

Every year as Christmas rolls around, we’re hit with the same question: What do mums actually want for Christmas? And every year we seem to fall back on candles, pyjamas, bath bombs, shopping vouchers, slippers, or something novelty-shaped that will be forgotten by February.

But ask most mums (really ask them), and you’ll hear a very different answer:

“I just want the house cleaned.”

It’s not glamorous. It’s not shiny. And it probably won’t appear on a Christmas gift guide curated by a big-box retailer. But a clean, calm, stress-free home? Now that’s a present that actually makes a difference.

Because whether she’s a mum of young kids, a carer, a grandmother hosting the family, or a woman juggling work, home and a mountain of invisible labour, time, rest and ease are the real luxuries.

So this Christmas, let’s talk about why the gift of a clean house is one of the most thoughtful, appreciated presents you can give.

At Sistability, we work closely with people who support our clients’ rights, wellbeing, and independence. One of the most important supports available to people with disability is independent disability advocacy — a free service designed to help individuals navigate unfairness, discrimination, and complex systems that can often feel overwhelming.

A Disability Advocate is someone who stands beside a person with disability, helping them understand their rights, speak up, and be fully included in their community. This support can be the difference between feeling powerless and feeling confident to take action.

The Christmas season is a beautiful time of year. Families visit, friends drop by, kids are home from school and the days are filled with celebrations, shared meals and precious moments. But with all the joy comes the reality that the house can get messy very quickly. For many people, especially older Australians, NDIS participants, parents and carers, December can feel like a juggling act. There is food to prepare, visitors to manage, presents to wrap and appointments to fit in, all while trying to keep the home tidy and welcoming.

The good news is that the house does not need to be perfect to feel comfortable. With a few smart routines and low-effort cleaning tricks, you can keep your home looking fresh throughout the holidays without spending hours scrubbing and organising. Here are some of the best time-saving tips that help reduce stress, keep things running smoothly and make your home a warm, inviting space during the busiest time of year.

As the year comes to a close, many of us find ourselves reflecting on what worked well, what felt overwhelming, and what we would like to change in the year ahead. For older Australians, people living with disability, and families who provide care, these reflections are more than a yearly ritual. A safe, clean and well-supported home can make everyday life easier, safer and more enjoyable.

At Sistability, we see every day how domestic cleaning, gardening and in-home support can transform the way people live. As a social enterprise, our work goes beyond tasks. It is about helping people stay safe, maintain dignity and feel genuinely supported. With 2026 approaching, now is the perfect time to think about how a little extra help could make next year calmer, more organised and more enjoyable.

In 2025, Sistability reached an important milestone in our journey: we became a certified social enterprise. For us, this was not a marketing label or a strategic pivot. It was the formal recognition of who we have always been at heart. From day one, Sistability has existed to support people who are often overlooked, create meaningful employment for those who need a hand up, and deliver care with dignity, fairness, and respect.

Now, as we move into 2026, becoming a social enterprise is more than a badge we wear. It is a promise to our clients, partners, staff, and the entire Northern Rivers community that we will continue to put people first. It is a commitment to purpose, not just profit, and to quality care, not shortcuts.

Christmas is a time filled with warmth, generosity, and connection - but for many older Australians, it can also be a time of quiet loneliness, reflection, or emotional overwhelm. As families gather and the year comes to a close, the festive season becomes a powerful reminder of how important human connection truly is.

At Sistability, we see this every day in the homes of the seniors we support. Whether it’s a brief chat over a cup of tea or helping someone prepare their home for visiting family, these small, genuine moments of companionship can carry more meaning than any wrapped gift. This Christmas, the real gift we can offer our seniors isn’t something you can buy - it’s time, presence, and care.

As the year draws to a close and the warmer months roll in across the Northern Rivers, many families, support coordinators, and aged care providers start thinking about how to help clients stay safe, cool, and comfortable at home. For older Australians, people with disability, or anyone managing health concerns, summer can bring additional risks such as heat stress, dehydration, mould growth, and increased fatigue.

A thoughtful year-end deep clean can make a world of difference. It helps reset the home, remove hazards, improve airflow, and create a fresh, cool foundation for the season ahead. At Sistability, we see this as more than just cleaning, it’s about safety, dignity, and supporting people to live confidently in their own home during the hottest time of year.

From 1 November 2025, the Australian Government will roll out the new Support at Home Program, which will replace the current Home Care Package (HCP) and Commonwealth Home Support programs.

The goal is to make the system simpler, more flexible, and fairer for older Australians — giving you greater choice in how you use your funding. But like any new system, it pays to understand how it works so you can make every dollar count.

At Sistability, we believe your support should work for you — helping you live safely, comfortably, and independently at home. Here’s how to make sure it does.

When people think about “care,” they often picture medical appointments, medication management, or mobility aids. But there’s another side of care that’s just as important — and often overlooked.

It’s the comfort and safety that come from living in a clean, well-maintained home.

At Sistability, we see every day how much a tidy, hygienic space can improve someone’s wellbeing — not just physically, but emotionally too. For older Australians and people living with disability, cleanliness isn’t a luxury. It’s a fundamental part of care.

When you book a cleaning or support service, it’s easy to think you’re just getting a sparkling kitchen or a tidier home. But when you book with a social enterprise like Sistability, you’re doing something much bigger — you’re helping change lives right here in the Northern Rivers.

A social enterprise is a business built for purpose, not just profit. It exists to make a meaningful difference — using trade, training, and community connection as tools for good.

“Sandy” (name changed for privacy) is an NDIS participant living in government housing in the Northern Rivers. She lives with several complex medical conditions that affect her ability to manage her home environment. These conditions significantly influence her capacity to maintain hygiene, organisation, and general home upkeep on an ongoing basis.

Over time, the challenges of daily living became overwhelming, and Sandy’s living conditions deteriorated beyond what regular support services could manage. Her home had reached a level that presented health and safety concerns for her and those supporting her.

Big changes are coming to Australia’s aged care system on 1 November 2025 — and if you or a loved one are hoping to access support at home, now is the time to act.

The new reforms will completely reshape how aged care funding and services are delivered, and while they promise to simplify the system in the long run, the transition period may cause some delays and confusion.

At Sistability, we’ve helped many older Australians across the Northern Rivers understand My Aged Care, apply for home care packages, and organise trusted services that make life easier at home. Our advice right now? Don’t wait until November to start. Getting your application in early can help you avoid disruption and ensure you’re set up before the new system takes effect.

We’re still buzzing from the incredible night we had at the 2025 Regional NSW Business Awards at the Ballina RSL last weekend! Surrounded by inspiring businesses, community leaders, and plenty of cheers, our team came together to celebrate what has been a milestone year for Sistability.

And what a night it was. We were absolutely thrilled to take home the award for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion and to receive a Highly Commended recognition for Employer of Choice (under 20 employees).

These awards are more than just shiny trophies — they reflect the heart of what we do every single day and the values we hold as a social enterprise.

Robert, an aged care client living in Ballina, has lived with hoarding behaviours for many years. His home gradually became cluttered and difficult to navigate, making everyday activities harder and less safe.

When we first began working with Robert, it was clear that a single intensive clean would not be suitable. An all-at-once approach can be traumatic for people living with hoarding — it can feel like a loss of control, and in some cases, cause further distress.

Instead, we worked with Robert, his care team, and his support network to develop an ongoing, specialised cleaning plan tailored to his needs.

For many people, a clean home is more than just a matter of tidiness — it’s about safety, health, dignity, and quality of life. For NDIS participants and older Australians receiving aged care support, regular cleaning plays an important role in day-to-day wellbeing. But before a regular cleaning schedule can be effective, a specialised clean is often the most powerful first step.

We are so proud to share that Sistability has been named a finalist in not one, but two categories at the 2025 Northern Rivers Regional Business Awards:

🏆 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
🏆 Employer of Choice (20 Employees and Under)

This recognition is an incredible honour for our team, and it reflects both the work we do in the community and the culture we’ve built inside our organisation. At Sistability, we believe that inclusion, diversity, and genuine care aren’t just values on paper — they are guiding principles that shape how we show up every single day.

At Sistability, we believe that everyone deserves more than just a roof over their head—they deserve a home. A space that feels safe, warm, and comforting. Yet for many people in our community, starting over often means doing so with almost nothing. That’s why we’ve launched our new Clean Start Program, an initiative designed to help vulnerable community members create homes filled with dignity and comfort.

Through this program, we collect donations from the community—things like bedding, mattresses, towels, and home goods—and deliver them to those who need them most.

Every person deserves to be seen, heard, and supported. Yet too often, people in our community quietly carry challenges on their own—whether it’s feeling isolated, uncertain about how to access services, or unsure where to turn for help.

At Sistability, we believe no one should have to face those challenges alone. That’s why our team is more than a group of service providers. We’re companions, advocates, and connectors—standing beside people so they feel supported, valued, and confident to take the next step forward.

The Australian Government has announced one of the biggest expansions to aged care funding in recent years. From September 3 until October 31, 2025, 20,000 new Home Care Packages (HCPs) are being released. By the end of the year, another 20,000 packages will follow, opening the door for thousands of older Australians to receive the support they need to live safely and comfortably at home.

We’ve got some exciting news to share with you—Sistability has officially been certified as a Social Enterprise! 🎉

This milestone is more than just a badge for us. It’s a recognition of the way we’ve always operated: putting people and community first while delivering high-quality domestic care services. As one of only a handful of social enterprises in the Northern Rivers, we’re proud to be showing what’s possible when business success is linked directly to social good.