In-Home Respite Care: A Guide for Carers and Families

Caring for someone you love is rewarding, but it can also be relentless. Respite care gives you a planned break while the person you care for stays safe, supported, and comfortable. For most families, the easiest place to start is in home respite care, where a trusted Support Worker comes to the house so the day keeps running while you step away.

What is respite care in aged care?

Respite care is short-term care that temporarily takes over from a usual carer, whether that carer is a partner, an adult child, a friend, or a neighbour. In aged care, respite can last a few hours, a full day, overnight, or several weeks, depending on what you need and how it is funded.

Put simply, respite care looks after the person you care for so you can rest, work, travel, recover, or simply catch your breath.

It helps to separate two ideas that often get blurred. Respite care at home keeps the person in their own familiar surroundings while support comes to them. Residential respite means a short stay in an aged care home. Both are forms of aged care respite; they simply happen in different places.

Across the sector, you will also see respite described as flexible respite, centre-based or day respite, cottage respite, and emergency respite. The common thread is the same: a temporary break for the carer, and continued care for the person.

Why respite care matters for carers

Respite is not a luxury, and it is not a sign that you are failing to cope. It is one of the practical things that keeps long-term caring sustainable. The numbers show just how many households this touches.

Without regular breaks, carers are more likely to experience exhaustion, poorer health, and burnout, which can put the whole care arrangement at risk. A short, reliable break protects both of you.

Types of in-home respite care and other options

Respite home care services come in several forms. The right mix depends on the level of support needed, your budget, and how the care is funded.

• In-home respite (flexible respite): a Support Worker comes to the home during the day or overnight so the usual carer can take a break. This is the most common form of respite care in home settings.
• Centre-based or day respite: the person attends a day program at a centre or aged care home for social activities, a meal, and support.
• Cottage respite: overnight or weekend respite, usually two to three days, in a community setting rather than the family home.
• Residential respite: a short stay in residential respite homes, meaning an aged care home, is best suited to people who need help with most daily tasks.
• Emergency respite: urgent, unplanned care for when a carer suddenly becomes unavailable.

At Just Better Care, the focus is respite at home: keeping the person in familiar surroundings while a Support Worker steps in. A single visit can combine personal care, meal preparation, and light domestic help, transport to appointments, and social support, so the whole arrangement is built around the person rather than a checklist. Where needed, this can extend to overnight or extended support.

How respite care fits into aged care funding

In the Australian aged care system, respite is funded through a few different pathways. Which one applies depends on the level of need and the outcome of an aged care assessment, arranged through My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)

Entry-level support for people with lower needs. CHSP can fund flexible (in-home), centre-based, and cottage respite, usually with a small co-payment. Eligibility is confirmed through a phone-based assessment. Read here the difference between CHSP and Support at Home. 

Support at Home

Launched in November 2025, Support at Home is the main government-subsidised in-home aged care program. Participants can put their funding allocation towards in-home respite, with no separate annual day limit, which gives you more flexibility to plan breaks around your routine. Residential respite is funded separately, so it does not come out of your Support at Home budget. Eligibility follows an aged care assessment.

Residential respite

Residential respite is subsidised for up to 63 days in a financial year and can be extended by 21 days at a time with assessor approval. A basic daily fee applies, and you need an assessment to access planned residential respite.

Carer Gateway and emergency respite

Carer Gateway is a free national service for carers that includes counselling, coaching, and planned or emergency respite. If a carer suddenly cannot provide care, emergency respite can often be arranged without a prior assessment. Call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737.

Private in-home respite

If you are not yet eligible, are waiting for an assessment, or simply want to start now, private respite care can be arranged quickly. It is self-funded, can be booked for as little as a few hours a week, and comes with no waitlists or eligibility tests.

Respite for people with disability and additional needs

Respite is not only for older Australians. Families caring for a person with disability or complex, ongoing needs rely on regular breaks too. For people supported by the NDIS, short-term support and respite, sometimes searched for as respite care for special needs, may be funded where it is reasonable and necessary. Because Just Better Care provides disability support alongside aged care, the same familiar team can deliver respite across both.

How to arrange in-home respite care

If you are thinking about respite, a good first step is to picture the break that would help most: a few hours each week, a regular weekday, or an occasional overnight.

• For government-funded respite, register with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and arrange an assessment.
• For urgent help, call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737.
• For private respite, you can begin now; your local Just Better Care office can help, whether you are looking for respite care in Sydney or respite services anywhere across Australia.