Cassandra's Compass
Respite plan and handover sheet
Plan a break, write down how the day usually runs, and print a handover sheet a stand-in carer can actually use. The guide and the blank template are free for everyone.
Do not enter dates of birth, Medicare numbers, addresses or other ID numbers. Use a first name or nickname. This is not medical advice; check it with the person’s doctor and care team.
Respite is short-term care that gives you a break from caring. Someone else takes over for a few hours, a day, a weekend or a couple of weeks, so you can rest, recover, keep an appointment, or manage something that cannot wait. My Aged Care puts it simply: respite care “is there to support you and your carer for short periods of time”, and it can be provided in your home, in the community, or in an aged care home.
Planning it before you need it is the whole point. A break arranged in advance is a break; the same break arranged in a crisis is an emergency. The two official starting points below are free, and neither of them needs a referral from a doctor.
Two different doors. If the person you care for is 65 or over (50 or over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), the subsidised services route runs through My Aged Care. If it is you, the carer, who needs support or a break, the carer-side route runs through Carer Gateway — a separate service from My Aged Care and from Centrelink.
If you would rather use pen and paper, or you are filling one in for the first time, this blank sheet prints as a single page. No account is needed, and nothing you type anywhere in the app appears on it.
Free, no account needed.
Cassandra’s Compass Dementia Care
Respite handover sheet
Prepared with Cassandra’s Compass
The person
First name or nickname only — never a full name, date of birth or Medicare number.
What a good day looks like
What lifts them, what settles them, what a good day usually includes.
Daily routine
When they get up, eat, rest and go to bed, so a stand-in carer can follow it.
Medicines — when they are given, and where the list is kept
Do not list the medicines themselves here. Say when they are given and where the official medication list is kept.
Changed behaviours, and what helps
What you have noticed, what seems to set it off, and what settles it.
Communication tips
Hearing, vision, glasses and hearing aids, the name they answer to, and what helps them understand.
Safety and mobility
How they move about, walking aids, falls risk, and what to watch near stairs or the stove.
Food and fluids
What they eat and drink, and any texture or fluid consistency they need.
Important contacts
Names and numbers you want a stand-in carer to have.
Where emergency information is kept
The folder, drawer or place — not the information itself.
If I cannot care for a few days
Who steps in first, and how to reach Carer Gateway emergency respite on 1800 422 737.
Notes
Completed by
Completed by (print name)
Role
Signature
Date
Cassandra’s Compass Dementia Care · Dementia By Compass (ABN 72 956 792 944)
cassandras-compass-dementia-care.org · admin@cassandras-compass-dementia-care.org
Dementia Australia 1800 100 500 · My Aged Care 1800 200 422 · Carer Gateway 1800 422 737 (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm)
This sheet supports documentation. Follow your facility’s policy and your clinical judgement.
This sheet was written by the person's carer. It is not medical advice and must be checked with the person's doctor and care team.
References
- My Aged Care. (n.d.). How to contact My Aged Care. Australian Government. Retrieved 8 October 2026 from https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/how-to-contact-my-aged-care
- My Aged Care. (n.d.). Respite care. Australian Government. Retrieved 8 October 2026 from https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/types-care/respite-care
- Carer Gateway. (2024, October 23). Planned and emergency respite. Australian Government. https://www.carergateway.gov.au/help-and-support/caring-me/available-support-carers/planned-emergency-respite
- Carer Gateway. (n.d.). Emergency care plan. Australian Government. Retrieved 8 October 2026 from https://www.carergateway.gov.au/your-life-carer/preparing-future/preparing-emergencies/emergency-care-plan
Phone numbers and opening hours can change. Always confirm current details on the official page before relying on them. See also the Respite Services Directory for the full set of respite pathways, and Carer Wellbeing Check-In if the strain is building.
Information checked against My Aged Care and Carer Gateway on 11 October 2026. This is general information for Australian carers and is not medical, legal or financial advice.
Create a free account to fill in and save your plan.
The saved plan is private to you: how the day usually runs, what helps, who to ring, and what to do if you cannot care for a few days. You can then print a handover sheet with only the sections you choose.
No card needed. The guide, the references and the blank handover template above stay free either way.
Knowledge doesn't just inform care — it transforms it. Every thing you learn about dementia, every framework you understand, every skill you build, translates directly into better moments for the person in front of you. That is why education in aged care is not optional. It is the most powerful act of care we have.
— Cassandra's Compass
Verified against official sources on 11 October 2026