Maximum wait times for those in the queue also increased. According to Department of Health figures, older Australians requiring the highest level of long-term support to live at home were waiting between nine and 12 months to access that, compared with a wait of between six to nine months in late 2017.

Department of Health figures show as of June 30, more than 121,000 people were on the national waiting list for home care package services, up from 88,000 the year prior.

More than 47 per cent of those on the waiting list for home care were classed as having the highest level of care needs, while about 54 per cent were either in or assigned low-level home care packages and waiting for further support.

Since June 2017, the number of ACT residents on the waiting list has remained relatively stable, with just under 1600 people in the queue, 935 of them - about 60 per cent - needing the highest level of care.

Nationally during the June quarter more than 29,000 home care packages were approved, one-third of those in NSW. About 8000 were in the high-care bracket.

The figures also showed the number of people in home care packages has been rising steadily since the figures became publicly available in 2017.

More than 72,000 people were in a home care package in July 2017, with the figure increasing every month to just under 85,000 people in March this year.

Aged and Community Services Australia chief executive Pat Sparrow said the increasing waiting list was concerning and changes needed to be made to the service to make it easier to access.

"What the data is showing is that there is a lot of demand for home care and the supply is not keeping up with the demand," Ms Sparrow said.

"There are risks associated with that, especially for those who live alone. We're seeing lots of people go into residential care a lot earlier than they should."

Ms Sparrow said while many elderly Australians would still require aged care services, more people have opted for home care.

"Generally, people want to stay at home for as long as they can, and people want to stay in their own home and get support," she said.

"You can't get away from the fact there are 121,000 people waiting and you need more packages to accommodate that."

Currently, people on the waiting list who are offered a support package have 56 days to accept it, and Ms Sparrow said that time needs to be increased so people can more effectively weigh up their options.

"Many people don't understand fully what they have to do to access these services, and often they don't make a decision so the package has no one in it," she said.

"We think it's important to support people more through this process."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said an additional $1.6 billion was allocated in the most recent federal budget for home care packages.

"This will take overall home care packages from 87,000 at present to 151,000 over the next four years. This includes 74,000 high-level packages," the spokeswoman said.

"As part of this, the immediate roll-out of an additional 14,000 new high-level packages began in July."

The spokeswoman said people in the waiting list for home care can access interim services such as lower level home care packages or services through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme.

"Approximately three-quarters of those on the queue have been assigned or are receiving care through a lower-level package or the CHSP," the spokeswoman said.

The release of the home care package figures comes as the federal government announced a $100 million package over two years to support elderly people living independently in their homes.

Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt said the funding boost would be targeted at growth areas for the sector, such as domestic assistance, meals, transport and home modification.

"Our ageing population and the evolving needs and wishes of senior Australians are driving an increasing demand for home-based services," Mr Wyatt said.

"There is a strong emphasis on helping maintain and restore the independence of senior Australians through wellness and rehabilitation support."