Behind every older Australian cared for at home is usually a family carer holding it together, and many of them are running on empty. Now two of the country’s leading advocacy bodies are calling for an urgent national review of respite care, warning that the breaks carers desperately need are too often unavailable, unaffordable or impossible to arrange in time. Here’s the plain-language guide to what’s wrong and what you can access now.
What’s Happening
Dementia Australia and Carers Australia have jointly called for an urgent national review of respite care, warning that many carers struggle to access affordable, appropriate and timely support, despite years of reform commitments. Respite care, temporary care that gives a family carer a break, is meant to be a cornerstone of keeping people at home, but the advocates say it’s failing the very people it exists to support.
The concern is serious because respite isn’t a luxury. It’s often the single thing that determines whether a carer can keep going, and therefore whether an older person can stay at home rather than moving into residential care sooner than they need to.
Why Respite Matters So Much
Caring for an older person, especially someone with dementia, is relentless and exhausting. Carer burnout is one of the main reasons home care arrangements break down, and when a carer can no longer cope, the person they care for often ends up in residential care earlier than necessary, at greater cost to them, their family, and the system.
Respite breaks that cycle. A regular, reliable break lets a carer rest, recover, attend to their own health and life, and come back able to keep caring. When respite works, it sustains the whole arrangement. When it fails, everything is at risk. That’s why the advocates are treating this as urgent, not a nice-to-have.
What the Advocates Say Is Wrong
The problems they point to are practical and familiar to any carer who’s tried to arrange respite. It can be hard to access, with limited availability, especially at short notice or in a crisis. It can be unaffordable, with costs that put it out of reach for some families. It can be inappropriate, not suited to the person’s needs, particularly for people with dementia who need specialised care. And it can be untimely, arriving too late to prevent the burnout it’s meant to relieve.
The call for a national review reflects a sense that, despite years of aged care reform, respite specifically hasn’t been fixed, and carers are paying the price.
What Respite You Can Access Now
While the review is a call for future change, respite support does exist now, and it’s worth knowing how to access it. Respite can be funded through the aged care system: Support at Home can include respite as part of a person’s care, and there are short-term and cottage respite options, as well as residential respite (a temporary stay in an aged care home).
To access respite, start with My Aged Care, which can arrange an assessment that includes respite in the person’s support plan. It’s worth asking specifically about respite when you’re assessed or reviewing a plan, because it’s easy to overlook, and building it in proactively is far better than scrambling for it in a crisis. For carers, the Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) is a national service offering practical support, counselling and access to respite, and it’s a genuinely useful first call.
A Word for Carers
If you’re a carer running on empty, please hear this: using respite isn’t a failure or a sign you’re not coping well enough. It’s what makes sustained caring possible, and looking after yourself is part of looking after the person you care for, not separate from it. Reach out, ask for respite specifically, and use the services that exist, imperfect as the system is. The Carer Gateway and My Aged Care are the places to start, and free carer support and counselling are available. General information is on My Aged Care.
The Bottom Line
Dementia Australia and Carers Australia calling for an urgent national review of respite care reflects a real crisis: the breaks carers need are too often unavailable, unaffordable or too late, and carer burnout pushes older Australians into residential care sooner than necessary. While the sector pushes for reform, respite does exist now through Support at Home, residential respite and the Carer Gateway, so ask for it specifically and use it. If you’re caring for someone, your wellbeing matters too. This is general information, not aged care, medical or financial advice, and if you’re struggling as a carer, support is available.
Epik Wire covers aged care in plain language for older Australians, their families and carers. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed.
