Respite Care for Adults With Disability Who Live With Family
Many adults with disability live with parents, partners or siblings who give much of their care. In-home respite sends a support worker to the home so those family members get a break, while the adult keeps their own routines and does things they enjoy. On the NDIS it's usually paid from flexible Core supports in the adult's own plan.
Why Does Respite Matter for Adults Living With Family?
It keeps the family arrangement going, and it gives the adult time with someone other than their family, which most adults expect.
The NDIA's guideline notes that most of us have time apart from our families: many adults work or study and aren't always home. Respite gives the adult with disability that same kind of time apart, and gives their family time for their own health, work and relationships.
The guideline's examples include a 45 year old autistic man who has lived with his mother, his main support, for most of his adult life. When she became unwell, his planner funded supports so she could focus on her recovery and keep supporting him.
What Does In-Home Respite Look Like for an Adult?
The worker supports the adult the way they like, at home or out, while the family has time off.
- Cooking a meal together, with the person doing as much as they want to
- Going to the gym, the library or a local group
- Personal care and getting ready for bed
- A sleepover so the family can go away for a night
The adult should have a say in who comes and what they do. It's their plan and their support.
Need a Break at Home?
We'll connect you with a registered NDIS provider who can send a support worker to your home.
How Is It Funded?
From the adult's own NDIS plan, usually the flexible Core supports budget. Short stays away from home are funded separately as short-term accommodation.
The NDIA won't fund short-term accommodation if the person already gets more than 18 hours of paid support at home each day, lives in a supported independent living arrangement, or lives alone without drop-in support. In-home respite is for people whose family gives significant care at home.
What If the Family Can't Keep Caring?
Tell the NDIA. A change to the plan, or other home and living supports, may be needed.
Respite helps a family keep caring, but it isn't a long-term answer if they can't. The NDIA's guideline points to other home and living supports, like individualised living options or supported independent living, when longer-term arrangements are needed. Talk to your my NDIS contact or support coordinator.
Questions People Ask
Can an adult on the NDIS get respite?
Yes. If their family gives significant disability-related care at home, the adult's plan can fund in-home support that gives the family a break, usually from flexible Core supports.
Whose plan pays for respite for an adult?
The adult's own NDIS plan. Carers don't have NDIS plans of their own.
Does the adult have to agree to respite?
It's their support, so they should have a say in who comes and what they do. A good provider will involve them from the start.
Keep Reading
- Respite care at homeWhat in-home respite looks like: a support worker comes to your home, takes over the care for a few hours or overnight, and you get a real break.
- NDIS respiteHow NDIS respite works: support workers at home paid from Core funding, short stays away from home, who qualifies, and where carers fit into the plan.
- Respite for carersRespite for carers of someone with disability: what the NDIS can fund at home, what Carer Gateway offers carers directly, and how the two work together for you.
- Overnight respiteOvernight respite at home on the NDIS: what a sleepover shift is, when you need an active overnight worker instead, how each is charged, and how to set one up.
- Getting respite in your NDIS planA step by step guide to getting in-home respite into an NDIS plan: what to write down, the evidence that helps, who to talk to and what to do if it's a no.
- How it worksHow we connect you with a respite provider, and what happens to your details.
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