Respite care

What is respite care?

Respite care is planned, temporary care for the person with the illness, provided by someone other than the primary carer, specifically to give the carer time to rest, recover, and attend to their own needs. It is not emergency care. It is planned care with the specific purpose of sustaining the carer's capacity to continue.

Respite takes different forms. In-home respite brings a trained carer or nurse to the house so the primary carer can leave, sleep, or simply have a few hours to themselves. Community day respite takes the person with the illness to a centre for a day of activities and care. Inpatient respite admits the person to a palliative care unit or hospice for a planned period, usually a few days to two weeks.

Is taking respite giving up on caring?

Many carers resist respite because they feel that using it means they are not coping, or that it is unfair to the person they are caring for. Neither is true. Respite is not a sign of failure. It is how caring for someone through the final weeks is sustained over time.

A carer who is running on empty, who is not sleeping, who is carrying everything alone, will eventually reach a point where they can no longer provide good care. Taking regular, planned respite is one of the most important things you can do for the person you love. It keeps you present and capable. It is an act of care, not an abandonment of it.

The person who is dying often understands this better than the carer does. Many people who are dying actively encourage their carer to take respite, precisely because they do not want the carer's health to break.

How do I access respite care?

Your palliative care team is the best starting point for accessing respite in the final weeks. They can arrange in-home nursing or carer cover and can coordinate inpatient respite admissions to a palliative care unit. Ask them directly: "What respite options are available and how do we arrange them?"

Carer Gateway (1800 422 737, carergateway.gov.au) can arrange emergency and planned respite for carers across Australia. Emergency respite is available when something unexpected happens that means the carer cannot continue to provide care. Planned respite is arranged in advance for regular breaks.

For people receiving Support at Home (the program that replaced Home Care Packages from 1 November 2025), respite services may be funded through their allocation. Ask the provider coordinating their care what is available. For people covered by NDIS, respite may also be available through the plan.

Is there financial assistance available for respite?

Carer Gateway respite services are free or low-cost. Inpatient palliative care respite through the public system is generally available at no or low cost. The Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres (now integrated into Carer Gateway) historically provided funded respite; ask Carer Gateway about current funding options in your area.

Carers who receive Carer Payment are also entitled to a Carer Supplement payment annually, which can be used towards respite or other carer-related costs. Ask Centrelink about the current supplement amount when your Carer Payment is established.

How do I make the most of respite without feeling guilty?

If you are going to use respite effectively, you need to actually rest during it. Not catch up on tasks, not spend the whole time worrying, not fill every minute with activity. Rest means rest: sleep, time outside, a meal with a friend, an hour in a café with a book. Whatever restores you.

Before you take respite, ensure you are confident that the care being provided is good. Meet the person who will be providing it. Know that there is a phone number to call if needed. This groundwork makes it possible to actually let go for a few hours.

Your wellbeing is not separate from your caring role. It is part of it. Taking care of yourself is taking care of the person you love.