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Caring rarely fits neatly into business hours. It may involve personal care, medication, appointments, interrupted sleep, behaviour support and the mental load of always being the person who remembers what needs to happen next.

Even when that care is given willingly and with love, it still takes energy. Needing a break does not mean a carer is failing or that they care any less. In many cases, regular time away from the caring role is what makes it possible to continue.

Respite care can help, but the system is not always easy to understand. The term covers several different kinds of support, and the way respite is accessed and funded differs between the NDIS, aged care and Carer Gateway.

What Is Respite Care?

Respite care is a temporary change to the usual caring arrangement. Someone else provides the support the person needs, giving their regular carer a break.

That break might last a few hours, a full day, overnight, a weekend or several weeks. It can take place in the person’s own home, out in the community, in short-term accommodation or in an aged care home.

Respite should not be viewed only as a service for the carer. Done well, it can also give the person receiving care a chance to spend time with other people, enjoy different activities, build confidence or become more comfortable receiving support from someone other than their usual carer.

The right arrangement depends on both people. A busy group program might be enjoyable for one person and completely overwhelming for another. An overnight stay may give one carer the rest they need, while another family may be better served by a familiar worker providing support at home for a few hours each week.

Respite Does Not Have to Mean an Overnight Stay

Many families hear the word “respite” and picture the person they care for being sent away. That is only one option.

Support in the Person’s Own Home

A support worker can come into the home and take over agreed tasks while the regular carer goes out, rests, attends an appointment or spends time with other family members.

In-home support can work particularly well when the person is most comfortable in familiar surroundings, relies heavily on routine or finds unfamiliar environments distressing. It may be provided for a few hours during the day or, where available and appropriate, overnight.

Community or Centre-Based Support

Day programs, community groups and supported outings can give the person receiving care social contact and meaningful time outside the home. At the same time, their carer has a predictable block of time away from the caring role.

These options can range from a regular community activity with a support worker to an aged-care day respite program. What is available will depend on the person’s funding, needs, interests and local services.

Cottage, Homestay or Short-Stay Respite

Some respite arrangements involve an overnight stay in a small community setting, a host’s home or other short-term accommodation. This can offer a more homelike alternative to a larger facility and may be suitable for a weekend or a few days at a time.

The setting matters, but so does the support. Before booking, families need to know who will be present, whether support is shared or one-to-one, what happens overnight and whether the provider can meet the person’s health, communication, mobility or behaviour-support needs.

Residential Respite in an Aged Care Home

Residential respite provides short-term care in an aged care home. It is generally better suited to an older person who needs help with most daily tasks or requires a level of care that would be difficult to arrange through a few hours of support at home.

This can be used for a planned break, while a carer recovers from illness or surgery, or when the usual arrangement temporarily cannot continue.

Respite Through the NDIS

Within the NDIS, the support most commonly associated with overnight respite is Short Term Accommodation, often shortened to STA.

Under current NDIA guidance, STA is intended to give an eligible participant and their primary informal supports mutually beneficial time apart. The funding remains a support for the participant: it must relate to their disability support needs, help them pursue their goals and meet the broader NDIS funding criteria.

STA can be delivered in different settings. Depending on the participant’s needs and plan, this may include a respite facility, hotel or motel, short-stay rental, cabin, cottage, homestay or the participant’s own home. It can involve shared or individual support.

The NDIA will usually consider whether another option could meet the need before funding STA. For some participants, regular personal care at home or support to attend community activities may create suitable time apart without an overnight stay.

Who May Be Eligible for NDIS Short Term Accommodation?

STA is not automatically available to every NDIS participant or every family that would benefit from a break.

For adult participants, current NDIA guidance says the participant may be considered where they live with their primary informal supports, or receive daily drop-in support from them, and receive more than six hours of active disability-related support from those informal supports each day on a long-term basis.

At least one additional factor must also apply. This may include high-intensity or complex behaviour-support needs, limited access to suitable in-home supports, a risk to the informal carer’s wellbeing or capacity to continue, or the carer having other significant caring responsibilities.

The NDIA also considers whether STA is effective, beneficial and value for money, how it will support the participant’s goals and community participation, and whether it duplicates support already funded elsewhere.

For participants under 18, STA is funded only in exceptional situations. The disability-related care must be significantly greater than what would ordinarily be expected for a child of the same age. STA cannot be used simply as babysitting or to replace ordinary parenting responsibilities.

How Much STA Can the NDIS Fund?

The NDIA generally funds up to 28 days of STA per year, with stays of up to 14 days at a time. The funding may be used flexibly within the participant’s plan — for example, as several shorter stays rather than one long stay.

More than 28 days may be considered in exceptional circumstances. Where longer-term accommodation or support is needed, the NDIA may consider whether another home and living support is more appropriate.

It is important to budget carefully. Choosing a more expensive arrangement, a higher staffing ratio or longer stays can use the available funding faster. A participant should confirm what has been included in their plan and what the provider intends to claim before making a booking.

What Can NDIS STA Funding Pay For?

What STA funding pays for has changed, and this is where older information can cause confusion. Under current NDIA guidance, the funding may cover:

• Standard accommodation
• Personal care and the disability-related support the participant ordinarily needs
• Support required to take part in community, cultural or social activities
• A support worker’s accommodation where the worker needs to stay at the location to provide the participant’s required support, such as overnight assistance

There are also clear exclusions. STA is not a holiday fund. NDIS funding cannot be used to pay for cruises, holiday packages, airfares or tourist accommodation, and it does not pay the accommodation or travel costs of family members.

The participant must also pay for their own food and meals during an STA stay. Activity costs such as tickets, entry fees, equipment and memberships are not funded either, although disability-related support to participate in an activity may be funded. Transport to and from the accommodation is not automatically included and should be checked against the participant’s separate transport funding and circumstances.

These exclusions are worth confirming in writing. Older information and some provider descriptions still refer to meals and activities as part of an all-inclusive STA price, but that does not reflect the current NDIA guidance on what NDIS funds can pay for.

Other NDIS Supports Can Also Create Time Apart

Not every useful break needs to be labelled respite or involve STA.

Depending on the participant’s plan, a support worker may assist with personal care at home, help the participant attend a regular activity, provide support in the community or build daily living skills. These supports are primarily there to meet the participant’s disability-related needs and goals, but they can also give an informal carer a reliable period away from hands-on care.

If the current plan no longer reflects the participant’s needs or the informal caring arrangement is becoming difficult to sustain, the participant can raise this with their my NDIS contact or at a check-in meeting. They may also request a plan change where their circumstances have changed.

It helps to be specific. A general statement that a carer is exhausted may be completely true, but it does not explain the participant’s support needs or show how the NDIS funding criteria are met. Useful information may include:

• The active support the carer provides each day and overnight
• The personal care, supervision, mobility, communication or behaviour support involved
• The effect the caring role is having on the arrangement’s long-term sustainability
• Any health issues or other caring responsibilities affecting the carer
• Why available in-home, community or mainstream options are not enough
• How the proposed support would benefit the participant and relate to their goals

Assessments, provider information and reports from relevant allied health professionals may also help the NDIA understand the type and level of support required.

Respite Through Aged Care

Aged care respite is accessed through a different system. It may be available through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), the Support at Home program, residential aged care or specialised aged care programs.

Support at Home replaced the former Home Care Packages Program on 1 November 2025. Respite is included within its independence services, while the CHSP continues to provide entry-level assistance and several forms of community respite.

In-Home Respite

In-home respite, sometimes called flexible respite, involves a paid care worker supporting the older person in their own home. It may be available during the day or overnight through the CHSP or Support at Home.

This can be a practical option where the older person wants to remain in familiar surroundings or where leaving home would cause unnecessary stress.

Community and Centre-Based Respite

Community and centre-based respite usually takes place during the day at a centre, club or community space. It may include activities, meals and social connection, and some services provide transport.

This form of respite is available through the CHSP and Support at Home. It can give a carer several regular hours to work, attend appointments or rest while the older person spends time with others.

Cottage Respite

Cottage respite provides care overnight or over a weekend in a community-based setting rather than the person’s usual home. My Aged Care describes these stays as commonly lasting two to three days at a time.

Cottage respite is available through the CHSP, with additional arrangements available through some specialised programs and services in rural, remote, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Residential Respite

Residential respite takes place in an aged care home. The older person receives accommodation, meals, laundry, social activities and care based on their assessed needs.

Eligible people can generally access up to 63 days of subsidised residential respite in a financial year. This includes both planned and emergency stays. Extensions of 21 days at a time may be approved following further assessment.

Approval does not guarantee that a particular aged care home will have a respite bed available on the dates needed. If a carer knows they will need time away, it is sensible to contact preferred providers early rather than leave the search until the last minute.

How Do You Access Aged Care Respite?

An aged care assessment determines which services the older person is eligible to receive. The first step is to contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or apply for an assessment online.

The assessment should consider the older person’s care needs, their current support arrangements and how sustainable the caring situation is. Once approved, families can use the My Aged Care provider finder and contact services directly to discuss availability.

In an emergency, it may sometimes be possible for an aged care provider to arrange an urgent assessment for residential respite. However, emergency availability cannot be assumed, which is another good reason to have a backup plan before it is needed.

What Does Aged Care Respite Cost?

Fees depend on the program and type of respite.

CHSP providers have their own client contribution policies and must explain any contribution the older person is expected to make. Under Support at Home, respite is an independence service and participant contributions may apply according to the person’s financial circumstances and applicable arrangements.

For subsidised residential respite, the person pays a basic daily fee set at 85 per cent of the single basic Age Pension. A provider may also request a permitted booking fee and may offer optional higher everyday living services for an additional fee. Residential respite providers cannot charge a means-tested contribution or accommodation cost for the respite stay.

Ask for all fees, inclusions and cancellation terms in writing before agreeing to a service. Government rates change, and optional extras can make two apparently similar respite arrangements cost very different amounts.

Carer Gateway: Support for the Carer

Carer Gateway sits alongside the NDIS and aged care systems and focuses on the needs of unpaid carers.

Carers can call 1800 422 737 to discuss local respite options and other supports. Through a tailored support package, some carers may be able to access free planned respite where a suitable service is available.

Carer Gateway also helps arrange emergency respite if a carer suddenly becomes ill, is injured or cannot continue providing care because of an urgent situation. For emergency respite, the number can be called at any time, although the service available will depend on the person’s needs and what can be arranged locally.

If anyone is in immediate danger or requires urgent medical assistance, call 000.

Choosing a Respite Provider

A vacancy is not the same thing as a good match. Before agreeing to respite, ask enough questions to understand exactly how the support will work.

These may include:

• Can the provider meet the person’s personal care, mobility and communication needs?
• Are workers trained for any medication, mealtime, high-intensity or behaviour supports required?
• Will support be one-to-one or shared, and with how many other people?
• Who is present overnight, and is that an active overnight shift or a sleepover arrangement?
• Is the environment physically accessible and suitable for the person’s equipment?
• How are routines, cultural needs, food requirements and personal preferences respected?
• Can the person meet the workers or visit the setting before the respite begins?
• What activities are available, and which costs must be paid privately?
• Is transport available, and how is it charged?
• What is included in the quoted price?
• How are incidents, illness or changes in behaviour handled and communicated?
• What are the cancellation terms?

Where the person has complex needs, the provider should be able to explain clearly how those needs will be supported. Reassuring language is not a substitute for properly trained workers, a workable care plan and clear responsibility.

Prepare a Proper Handover

The person providing respite needs more than a phone number and a bag of clothes.

A written handover should cover:

• Emergency contacts and relevant health professionals
• Diagnoses, allergies and current health concerns
• Medication instructions and who is authorised to assist
• Mobility, transfers, equipment and personal care needs
• Communication preferences and how the person expresses pain, distress or choice
• Usual routines, sleep patterns, food requirements and important preferences
• Known triggers, early signs of distress and strategies that genuinely help
• Behaviour-support or mealtime-management plans where applicable
• What to do, and who to contact, if something changes

For regular respite, update the information whenever medication, health needs, contacts or routines change. A handover copied from six months ago can be worse than no handover if everyone assumes it is still correct.

Carer Gateway also provides an emergency care plan template. Completing one in advance can make it much easier for another person to step in if the regular carer is suddenly unavailable.

What If the Person Is Reluctant to Try Respite?

Reluctance is understandable. The person may be worried about unfamiliar workers, a change in routine, being away from home or what the word “respite” seems to imply.

Where possible, involve them in choosing the arrangement. Talk about what they would enjoy or what would make the experience comfortable, rather than presenting it only as something their carer needs. Meeting the worker first, visiting the location, taking familiar items or starting with a short daytime trial can make the change less daunting.

For some people, the best first step is not an overnight stay at all. A familiar worker supporting an activity at home or in the community may build trust gradually while still giving the carer a genuine break.

The person’s rights, choices, communication needs and dignity remain important during respite. A break for the carer should not come at the cost of treating the person receiving care as though they have no say.

Do Not Wait Until the Arrangement Is Falling Apart

Many carers keep going until they are completely depleted, then try to organise respite when the situation has already become urgent. Unfortunately, assessments, provider searches and bookings can take time, and suitable services may not be available immediately.

Planning earlier allows everyone to consider the options properly, try a small amount of support and correct problems before a longer stay is needed. It also means there is a known backup if the carer becomes unwell or another emergency occurs.

Respite does not have to begin with a week away. A few reliable hours on a regular basis may be more useful than waiting months for a larger break that never quite happens.

Final Thoughts

Caring for someone does not remove a person’s need for sleep, privacy, relationships, work, appointments or time to themselves. A sustainable caring arrangement has to make room for the carer’s life as well as the needs of the person receiving support.

The right respite option might be support at home, a regular community activity, a short overnight stay or residential care for a longer planned break. What matters is that the arrangement is appropriate, properly funded or agreed, and genuinely suitable for the person receiving care.

JNJ Community Support Services provides person-centred support at home and in the community across Bundaberg, Childers, Gin Gin, Rosedale, Woodgate and surrounding areas. If you are exploring practical support that could help a participant or older person continue their usual routines while giving their carer some breathing room, our team is available to discuss what support may fit their needs and circumstances.

References

• NDIS – What is short-term accommodation
• NDIS – Short term accommodation
• My Aged Care – Respite care
• My Aged Care – Short-term care costs and fees
• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing – Support at Home program
• Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing – Services under Support at Home
• Carer Gateway – Planned and emergency respite
• Carer Gateway – Emergency Care Plan

Disclaimer

This article provides general information only and should not be considered individual NDIS, aged care, financial, medical or legal advice. Eligibility, funding rules, fees and service availability vary and may change. Refer to current official government information or seek advice about your individual circumstances.