Emergency care for the person you care for

Find out how you can prepare in case you can’t care for your loved one.

If you think you need an ambulance or you have an injury or illness that is critical or life threatening, call 000 immediately.

An emergency care plan, emergency respite and a carer emergency card can help if you get sick or have to leave home quickly. These tools can help ensure the person you care for will be looked after. 

Emergency respite

If you’re sick or injured, you may be able to organise emergency respite care. Respite is when someone else takes care of the person you care for. 

Find out more about emergency respite on the Carer Gateway website.

Emergency care plan 

An emergency care plan has all the information about the person you care for in one place. It can help if someone needs to take over caring from you in a hurry.

An emergency care plan includes:

  • emergency contacts
  • the care needs of the person you care for
  • medical information and contacts
  • a medicine list
  • carer emergency cards.

Find out more about planning for emergencies, including emergency care plans, on the Carer Gateway website.

Carer emergency card

As part of your emergency care plan, you can fill in and print a carer emergency card. You can carry it in your wallet to let people know that you care for someone.

Emergency care and Services Australia payments

If you get Carer Payment or Carer Allowance, you need to tell Services Australia if you’re not caring for the person for a full day or longer. This includes when:

  • the person you care for is in respite
  • the person you care for is being looked after by someone else
  • the person you care for is in hospital 
  • you’re in hospital.

Find out more about breaks from caring if you get Carer Payment or Carer Allowance on the Services Australia website.

Page last updated: 14 April 2023