What Is Respite Care and How Do You Access It in Australia

If you’re caring for an ageing parent, spouse, or loved one, there is a very good chance you’ve reached a point — or will reach one — where you simply need a break. Not because you don’t love the person you’re caring for, but because sustained caregiving without rest is genuinely unsustainable, and your own wellbeing matters too. Respite care exists exactly for this reason. Here’s a plain English guide to what it is, the different forms it takes, and how to access it in Australia.

What Is Respite Care?

Respite care provides temporary care for an older person, allowing their usual carer — whether a spouse, adult child, or other family member — to take a break. It can range from a few hours to several weeks, depending on the type of respite and the level of need.

Respite care exists because the wellbeing of carers is recognised as fundamentally important — not just for the carer’s own sake, but because sustainable care for the person being supported depends on the carer being able to rest, recover, and continue providing care over the long term.

The Different Types of Respite Care

In-home respite A trained carer comes to the home to provide care, allowing the usual carer to leave the house for a few hours — for appointments, errands, social time, or simply rest.

Centre based day respite The person receiving care attends a day program at a community centre or dedicated respite facility, typically for a full or half day, providing structured activities and social interaction while giving the carer a substantial break.

Residential respite The person receiving care stays in a residential aged care facility for a short period — anywhere from a few days to several weeks — allowing the carer an extended break, time to travel, recover from their own illness, or simply rest properly.

Emergency respite Available for situations where a carer faces a sudden crisis — illness, injury, or family emergency — and needs immediate short term care arranged for their loved one.

Cottage respite Some areas offer small, home-like respite facilities specifically designed for short stays, often providing a less institutional environment than larger residential facilities.

Why Respite Care Matters So Much

As I wrote in how to prevent burnout as an aged care worker — sustained caregiving without adequate rest leads to genuine burnout, and burnout doesn’t just affect the carer. It affects the quality and safety of the care being provided.

The benefits of regular respite include:

• Reducing carer stress, exhaustion, and burnout risk
• Allowing carers to attend to their own health needs, including medical appointments they may have been postponing
• Providing time for carers to maintain other relationships and responsibilities
• Giving the person receiving care a change of environment and social interaction
• In some cases, helping both the carer and the person being cared for prepare gradually for an eventual permanent transition to residential care, if that becomes necessary

Many carers feel guilty about using respite care — as though needing a break reflects inadequate love or commitment. It doesn’t. Respite care is a recognised, important part of sustainable caregiving, not a failure of it.

How to Access Respite Care Through My Aged Care

Step 1 — Contact My Aged Care The process begins by contacting My Aged Care online at myagedcare.gov.au or by calling 1800 200 422.

Step 2 — Assessment Depending on the type and level of respite needed, either a simpler RAS assessment or a full ACAT assessment will determine eligibility. As I explored in what is an ACAT assessment — this assessment is the gateway to most government funded aged care services, including respite.

Step 3 — Approval and access Once approved, you’ll be connected with respite providers in your area, and can begin arranging respite care based on your specific needs and preferences.

Funding for Respite Care

Through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme Lower level respite — typically in-home or centre based day respite — is often available through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, generally at a modest subsidised cost.

Through a Home Care Package If your loved one already has an existing Home Care Package, in-home respite can often be funded directly through the package, depending on available funds and the care plan.

Residential respite funding Residential respite care is subsidised by the government, with the care recipient generally paying a daily fee similar to the basic daily fee in permanent residential care. There is a limit on the number of subsidised respite days available per financial year — generally 63 days, though extensions are possible in certain circumstances with additional assessment.

Practical Tips for Using Respite Care Well

Start before you desperately need it Many carers wait until they’re at breaking point before considering respite. Building regular, planned respite into your caregiving routine — rather than only using it in crisis — supports much better long term sustainability.

Try a short stay before committing to longer respite If residential respite feels like a big step, starting with a shorter stay — even just a weekend — can help both you and your loved one adjust to the idea and the experience before trying something longer.

Use respite time genuinely for yourself It can be tempting to fill respite time entirely with errands and obligations. While practical tasks matter, try to build in genuine rest and restoration too — this is the actual purpose of respite.

Prepare your loved one thoughtfully For people with dementia in particular, a change in environment can be disorienting. Providing the respite facility with detailed information about routines, preferences, and life history — similar to what I described in how to connect with residents who have dementia — helps the temporary care be as smooth and comfortable as possible.

Communicate with the respite provider Share specific information about routines, preferences, medical needs, and anything that helps the temporary carers provide genuinely good care during the respite period.

Where to Get Help

• My Aged Care — myagedcare.gov.au — 1800 200 422 — for assessment and access to respite services
• Carer Gateway — 1800 422 737 — free support for carers, including help arranging respite and emergency respite access
• Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre — can provide local information about respite options in your specific area

The Bottom Line

Respite care exists because caring for someone you love, while deeply meaningful, is also genuinely demanding — and no one is meant to do it entirely without rest or support.

Using respite care is not a sign that you’re not coping or that you don’t care enough. It’s a recognition that sustainable, high quality care over the long term requires the carer to be supported too.

If you’re caring for someone and haven’t yet explored respite care, it’s genuinely worth looking into — for your sake, and for theirs.

Have you used respite care? Share your experience in The Good Years Club community — your insight could help another carer take that first step 💙

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