Care type · 60 listed providers
Respite care — Australian aged-care providers + guide
Respite care is short-term residential aged care — typically 1 to 9 weeks — designed to give family carers a break or to cover periods when a senior cannot safely live at home (post-surgery recovery, carer illness, planned holidays). Around 72,000 Australians use residential respite each year per AIHW.
★Key takeaways
- ✓60 verified Australian residential aged-care providers offering respite care, ranked by ACQSC star rating.
- ✓You're a primary family carer needing a break (planned holiday or just sustainable rest), you're recovering from surgery and can't safely return home immediately, you're trialling a residential aged-care home before committing to permanent placement, or your family carer has had a crisis and needs short-term cover.
- ✓Respite is the cheapest form of aged-care residence. Daily cost is the federally-regulated basic daily fee only — currently $66.80/day, or approximately $470/week. There is no means-tested care fee and no RAD/DAP accommodation cost. The home receives federal AN-ACC respite funding to cover the gap. Note that some providers charge an Extra Service fee for premium room amenities — ask explicitly when booking.
- ✓Source: My Aged Care provider register + ACQSC star ratings + provider-published service-type schedules.
In depth
What respite care actually means
Federal respite entitlement: every senior who has been ACAT-assessed as eligible for residential care receives **63 days of subsidised respite per financial year**, extendable in 21-day blocks at provider discretion. Daily cost: the basic daily fee ($66.80/day) only, **no means-tested fee + no RAD/DAP**. This makes respite dramatically cheaper than permanent placement — typically $470/week vs $700–1,400+/week for permanent care.
Respite happens in two main contexts: **emergency respite** (carer hospitalisation, sudden crisis — usually a phone call to ACAT or local provider, placement within 24–48 hours) and **planned respite** (booked weeks ahead, often to coordinate with family travel). Most residential aged-care homes offer respite beds as part of their service mix — typically 5–15% of beds rotate as respite.
Respite is also commonly used as a **trial run** for permanent residential placement. Many families use a 4-week respite stay to see how their parent settles into a particular home before committing to permanent admission. This is encouraged practice — providers expect it + use the trial to identify the resident's needs.
Quality markers to look for
- 63 days/year of subsidised respite per ACAT-eligible senior
- Cost: basic daily fee only ($66.80/day, no RAD or means-tested fee)
- Available 1-9 weeks at a time, extendable
- Both emergency + planned variants
- Trial-run for permanent placement is a recognised use case
- Most homes reserve 5-15% of beds for respite rotation
- ACAT assessment is the prerequisite (free, federally funded)
Choose this care type if
You're a primary family carer needing a break (planned holiday or just sustainable rest), you're recovering from surgery and can't safely return home immediately, you're trialling a residential aged-care home before committing to permanent placement, or your family carer has had a crisis and needs short-term cover.
Cost
Respite is the cheapest form of aged-care residence. Daily cost is the federally-regulated basic daily fee only — currently $66.80/day, or approximately $470/week. There is no means-tested care fee and no RAD/DAP accommodation cost. The home receives federal AN-ACC respite funding to cover the gap. Note that some providers charge an Extra Service fee for premium room amenities — ask explicitly when booking.
Directory · ACQSC-ranked
60 verified Australian providers offering respite care
Sorted by ACQSC star rating descending, then bed count. Each provider verified against My Aged Care + ACQSC quarterly ratings.
Sydney · Uniting Wesley Heights Manly
5★Uniting NSW.ACT
Service arm of the Uniting Church of NSW.ACT. Established LGBTI-inclusive practice across residential and home care port…
Adelaide · Resthaven Marion
5★Resthaven
Uniting Church SA aged-care arm; consistently among the highest ACQSC-rated providers in SA, operating 12 residential ho…
Sydney · Regis Rose Bay
5★Regis Aged Care
ASX-listed (REG) for-profit operator with around 60 homes nationally. Largest publicly-traded aged-care operator in Aust…
Sydney · Catholic Healthcare St Joseph Aged Care (Hunters Hill)
5★Catholic Healthcare
One of the largest Catholic-affiliated providers in NSW with over 40 homes across NSW and QLD. Founded by the Sisters of…
Sydney · Whiddon Easton Park (Glenfield)
4★Whiddon
Charitable not-for-profit founded 1947. Recognised for relationship-based care model and strong rural / regional NSW foo…
Sydney · Hunters Hill Montefiore Home
4★Montefiore
Australia's pre-eminent Jewish aged-care provider, established 1889. Three Sydney campuses: Hunters Hill, Randwick and W…
Perth · SwanCare Ningana
4★SwanCare
Operates Western Australia's largest single-site retirement village (Bentley Park, 13 hectares, 700+ residents) co-locat…
Brisbane · Churches of Christ Wheller Gardens (Chermside)
4★Churches of Christ
Churches of Christ in QLD; one of the state's largest single-site retirement and aged-care precincts, with 28 residentia…
Melbourne · Royal Freemasons Coppin Centre (Melbourne / St Kilda Road)
4★Royal Freemasons
Charitable provider founded by the Freemasons of Victoria in 1867. Open to all residents regardless of Masonic affiliati…
Brisbane · Wesley Mission Queensland Sinnamon Village
4★Wesley Mission Queensland (BlueCare partnership)
Uniting Church-aligned mission established 1907; one of the largest single-site continuing-care precincts in QLD, co-loc…
Perth · Hall & Prior Concorde (Carlisle) — Mosman Park HQ
4★Hall & Prior Health & Aged Care Group
Family-owned WA/NSW operator with around 30 homes split between the two states; multiple Italian and Greek CALD-speciali…
Brisbane · Bolton Clarke Tarragindi (formerly Trinder Park)
4★Bolton Clarke
Australia's oldest charitable aged-care provider (founded 1885 as the Royal District Nursing Service), operating 88 resi…
Perth · Juniper Hilltop (Balcatta)
4★Juniper
Uniting Church WA aged-care arm; one of Australia's largest providers of remote-Indigenous aged care, with sites in the …
Brisbane · Catholic Healthcare St Vincent's Bethania
4★Catholic Healthcare
Sponsored by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan; runs 47+ homes across NSW and South-East QLD with strong CALD chaplaincy…
Adelaide · Estia Health Daw Park
4★Estia Health (Bolton Group)
Privatised in 2023 via Bain Capital takeover (delisted from ASX); operates around 75 homes nationally including six in m…
Perth · Brightwater The Cove (Mandurah) and Inglewood — HQ in Inglewood
4★Brightwater Care Group
WA-only community provider with a national reputation in younger-onset dementia, brain injury rehab and the Brightwater …
Brisbane · Opal Raceview (Ipswich)
4★Opal HealthCare
Australia's largest private residential aged-care operator (130+ homes nationally) following the 2018 acquisition of Dom…
Adelaide · ACH Group Yankalilla Centre / Highercombe (Hope Valley) — Mile End HQ
4★ACH Group
Founded by the Anglican and Methodist Churches of SA; runs 12 residential sites and the 'Good Lives for Older People' re…
Perth · Amana Living James Brown Care Centre (Bull Creek)
4★Amana Living
Anglican Diocese of Perth aged-care provider; runs 12 residential homes and the Amana Living Training Institute, one of …
Adelaide · Eldercare The Lodge (Glenside)
4★Eldercare
South Australia–only community NFP with 13 residential homes; founded by SA business and church leaders to provide non-d…
Brisbane · Anglicare Symes Thorpe Toowoomba sister site — Brisbane HQ at Sandgate (Symes Grove)
4★Anglicare Southern Queensland
Anglican Church Southern Queensland's social-services arm; runs 22 residential homes across QLD and was one of Australia…
Brisbane · Regis Aspley
4★Regis Aged Care
ASX-listed (ASX:REG) operator with around 65 homes nationally; Aspley is one of seven Regis facilities in metro Brisbane…
Adelaide · Helping Hand Mawson Lakes
4★Helping Hand Aged Care
Uniting Church SA founder; one of SA's largest providers of remote-Indigenous home care across the APY Lands and Far Nor…
Melbourne · Vasey RSL Care Frankston South (RSL Park)
4★Vasey RSL Care
Established by RSL Victoria in 1926. Strong veterans, war-widows and DVA-funded resident focus; non-veterans also welcom…
Perth · MercyCare Place Joondalup
4★Mercy Care
Sisters of Mercy Catholic-aligned WA provider; one of the state's oldest social-services organisations and the founder o…
Adelaide · Regis Marleston
4★Regis Aged Care
ASX-listed (ASX:REG) operator with around 65 homes nationally; Marleston is the largest of three Regis facilities in met…
Perth · Regis Como (formerly Lakeside)
4★Regis Aged Care
ASX-listed (ASX:REG) operator with around 65 homes nationally; Como is one of three Regis sites in metro Perth and sits …
Melbourne · Nellie Melba Retirement Village Aged Care Centre (Wheelers Hill)
4★Ryman Healthcare
NZ-headquartered (NZX:RYM) integrated retirement village + aged-care operator. Multiple Melbourne villages with continuu…
Brisbane · Carmel by the Sea (Cleveland)
4★Star of the Sea Aged Care
Single-site Catholic-aligned operator on Brisbane's bayside; one of QLD's most consistent four-star ACQSC performers amo…
Melbourne · Doutta Galla Avondale Heights
4★Doutta Galla Aged Services
Community-owned charitable provider serving Melbourne's culturally-diverse north and west; around 8 residential homes in…
Sydney · Bolton Clarke Greenwood (Normanhurst)
4★Bolton Clarke
Australia's largest not-for-profit aged-care provider. Lineage to RSL Care + Royal District Nursing Service Australia (R…
Adelaide · Southern Cross Care Bucklands (Glen Osmond)
4★Southern Cross Care SA, NT & VIC
Knights of the Southern Cross Catholic-aligned operator; runs 14 residential homes across SA, NT and VIC including the o…
Melbourne · mecwacare Malvern Centre
4★MECWACare
Charitable not-for-profit founded 1959. Strong CALD and LGBTI-inclusive practice; Victorian-only footprint with around 1…
Sydney · Anglicare The Terraces Residential Care (Paddington)
4★Anglicare Sydney
Anglican Diocese of Sydney, established 1856. Over 20 residential homes plus retirement villages and home care across Gr…
Perth · Rosewood Leederville
4★Rosewood Care Group
Single-site community NFP in inner-Perth; Rainbow Tick accredited and one of WA's most visibly LGBTI-friendly residentia…
Perth · Bethanie Subiaco
4★Bethanie
WA's largest not-for-profit aged-care provider, founded by the Uniting Church (formerly Methodist Homes WA); operates 12…
Adelaide · ECH Henley Beach Residential Care Home
4★ECH (Enabling Confidence at Home)
Anglican Diocese of Adelaide aged-care arm; SA's largest retirement-living operator (90+ villages) and a major home-care…
Melbourne · Benetas St Paul's Terrace (Frankston South)
4★Benetas
Anglican Diocese of Melbourne aged-care provider since 1948. Victoria-only footprint, around 11 residential homes plus h…
Adelaide · Clayton Church Homes Beulah Park
4★Clayton Church Homes
Churches of Christ in SA aged-care arm; six residential sites concentrated in Adelaide's eastern suburbs and a long-stan…
Melbourne · Estia Health Plenty Valley (South Morang)
4★Estia Health
For-profit operator with around 70 homes nationally. Publicly-traded on ASX (EHE) until taken private by Bain Capital in…
Melbourne · Arcare Brighton
4★Arcare Aged Care
Family-founded for-profit with around 50 homes across Vic, NSW and QLD. Hexagonal household-style residence model is the…
Sydney · Belmore Place Care Community (Lakemba)
4★Opal HealthCare
Privately-held for-profit operator with around 100 homes nationally. AMP Capital was historically a major investor.
Sydney · St Vincent's Care Services Edgecliff
4★St Vincent's Care Services
Part of St Vincent's Health Australia, founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1857. Hospital-aligned aged-care provider wi…
Adelaide · Adelaide Jewish Community Aged Care (Glenside)
4★Jewish Care SA
South Australia's only Jewish residential aged-care home; kosher kitchen, Shabbat services and dedicated Holocaust-survi…
Melbourne · Gary Smorgon House / Melbourne Hebrew Memorial Nursing Home (Caulfield)
4★Jewish Care Victoria
Australia's largest Jewish community-care organisation, lineage to 1848. Kosher catering, Hebrew-aware care, integrated …
Perth · Aegis Greenfields (Mosman Park)
3★Aegis Aged Care
WA's largest private residential aged-care operator with around 30 homes statewide; family-founded by the Charatsis fami…
Melbourne · Mercy Place Parkville
3★Mercy Health
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1846. One of Victoria's largest Catholic NFP health and aged-care providers; hospital…
Brisbane · Ozcare Bowen Hills Aged Care Facility
3★Ozcare
Founded by the Catholic Diocese of Cairns; QLD-only operator with 15 residential homes and a flagship homelessness-pathw…
Sydney · HammondCare Hammondville (Bond House)
3★HammondCare
National pioneer of small-cottage dementia care. Independent Christian charity. HammondCare's Dementia Centre publishes …
Brisbane · Tabeel (Laidley), Salem (Toowoomba), Trinder Park sister-house Orana — Brisbane HQ
3★Lutheran Services
Lutheran Church of Australia–QLD District provider; strong German-speaking chaplaincy heritage and a major footprint in …
Brisbane · Carinity Cedarbrook (Mudgeeraba) and Karinya (Laidley) network — Brisbane HQ
3★Carinity
Queensland Baptist mission operating 11 residential aged-care communities across the state; one of QLD's largest faith-b…
Adelaide · Lutheran Homes Glynde Lodge
3★Lutheran Homes Group
Lutheran Church of Australia–SA District provider; strong German-Australian heritage with five residential homes and a l…
Perth · Southern Cross Care Margaret Hubery House (Rivervale)
3★Southern Cross Care WA
Knights of the Southern Cross Catholic-aligned WA arm; runs eight residential homes and the largest faith-aligned retire…
Brisbane · Bupa Mt Gravatt
3★Bupa Aged Care
Australian arm of UK-headquartered Bupa Group (private health insurance + healthcare); operates around 60 aged-care home…
Perth · Bupa South Perth
3★Bupa Aged Care
Australian arm of UK-headquartered Bupa Group; operates around 60 aged-care homes nationally including three in metro Pe…
Melbourne · Calvary Huntly Suites (Caulfield South / Calvary Kooyong precinct)
3★Calvary Aged Care
Operated by the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary since 1885. Acquired Japara Healthcare in 2021, becoming one of th…
Adelaide · St Basil's Homes SA Croydon Park Aged Care
3★St Basil's Homes SA
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia provider; SA's largest Greek-language CALD-specialist aged-care home with on-sit…
Sydney · Bupa Queens Park
3★Bupa Aged Care
Australian arm of Bupa Group (UK-headquartered private healthcare). Operates around 60 homes nationally including multip…
Sydney · The Village by Scalabrini (Drummoyne)
Scalabrini
Not-for-profit Catholic provider founded by the Scalabrinian Fathers to serve Italian-Australians. Italian-language and …
Melbourne · Uniting AgeWell Box Hill (Box Hill Manor)
Uniting AgeWell
Aged-care arm of the Uniting Church of Vic/Tas Synod. Operates around 20 residential homes plus retirement villages acro…
Common questions
Respite care — common questions
How quickly can I arrange respite?
Emergency respite: 24–48 hours typical via direct phone call to local providers + ACAT. Planned respite: book 4–8 weeks ahead at preferred home. The bottleneck is usually the ACAT assessment if not already in place — apply via My Aged Care now if you anticipate ever needing respite, even if not imminent. ACAT eligibility is valid indefinitely once granted.
What happens if I want to extend?
Standard respite stays are 1–9 weeks, extendable in 21-day blocks at provider discretion. Beyond 63 days/year you start using the next financial year's allowance OR transition to permanent placement (which triggers normal RAD/DAP + means-tested fee). Most homes will accommodate extension requests if they have bed availability.
Can respite become permanent?
Yes — and many families do this. Trial respite for 4 weeks, decide whether the home is right, then convert to permanent admission (requires signing the permanent residency agreement + paying RAD/DAP + means-tested fee). The home typically holds the room for you during the transition decision.
Will my parent settle into respite?
Most residents settle within 5-7 days. The first 48 hours can be distressing (unfamiliar environment, missing carer). Strong respite providers have settling protocols — orientation walks, photos from home displayed in the room, regular family phone calls in week 1. Be patient + check in with the care team daily during settling.