Choosing care · 8 min read
How to choose a caregiver
A step-by-step way to work out what you need, shortlist options, check registrations and set up a trial period.
Independent Australian care guidance
Find the right care, with less guesswork.
Arranging care for a parent, a partner, a child or yourself is confusing the first time. My Caregiver explains the options in plain English — what each type of caregiver does, what it usually costs, what to ask, and how to check you are dealing with someone reputable.
- No sign-up, no lead forms
- Written for Australian care settings
- Checklists you can print and use
- Clear about what we do and don't know
What are you looking for?
Pick the closest fit — each guide explains how that type of care usually works in Australia.
- Aged careHelp for an older person at home or in residential care
- Disability & NDISSupport workers for people living with disability
- In-home carePersonal care, domestic help and nursing at home
- Respite careA break for family carers, planned or urgent
- Dementia supportCaregiver support for someone living with dementia
Start with what you need
Most people begin by searching for a provider. It works better the other way around — get clear on the need and the funding first, and the shortlist gets much shorter.
- 1
Work out what help is actually needed
Write down the week as it really runs: mornings, meals, medication, appointments, showering, company. The list is the brief you give every provider you speak to.
- 2
Find out what funding applies
Aged care, NDIS and veterans' support each have their own assessment path. Private arrangements need none of it. Knowing which lane you are in changes who you should call.
- 3
Shortlist and compare
Look at availability, coverage in your suburb, backup cover, rates in writing and whether the person feels like a fit for the household.
- 4
Start small and review
Begin with a short trial period, then review after a few weeks. Changing early is much easier than unpicking a routine six months in.
Understand the type of care
The same person is often called a caregiver, a carer, a support worker or a care worker. These guides explain what each role usually covers and where the funding comes from.
Aged care
Help for an older person at home or in residential care
Read the guideDisability & NDIS
Support workers for people living with disability
Read the guideIn-home care
Personal care, domestic help and nursing at home
Read the guideRespite care
A break for family carers, planned or urgent
Read the guideDementia support
Caregiver support for someone living with dementia
Read the guideNot sure which applies?
Start with our overview of how to find a caregiver in Australia. It walks through the assessment pathways and the practical differences between hiring privately and going through a provider.
Key guides
Practical reading before you make a decision — costs, comparisons and the questions worth asking.
Choosing care · 6 min read
Questions to ask a caregiver
Printable interview questions covering experience, availability, safety, backup cover, costs and communication.
Costs · 9 min read
What caregiver support costs in Australia
How hourly rates, package management fees and funding programs fit together — and how to ask for a written price guide.
Care types · 7 min read
Support workers: what they do and how to choose one
The role of a support worker, common qualifications and checks, and how the relationship usually works week to week.
Comparisons · 5 min read
Caregiver vs support worker
Two terms used loosely in Australia. Here is what each usually means, and which one to search for.
Comparisons · 6 min read
Caregiver vs home care provider
Hiring an individual privately versus engaging an approved provider — responsibilities, cover and paperwork compared.
How to choose care safely
Safety in care is mostly about boring, checkable things: who the person is, what checks and registrations they hold, who supervises them, what happens when they cannot attend, and how concerns get raised and acted on.
Ask to see relevant checks and registrations before care starts, and confirm them yourself rather than relying on a description in a listing. For disability support, ask about worker screening requirements in your state. For subsidised aged care, ask whether the organisation is an approved provider and how it handles complaints.
My Caregiver does not screen, vet or verify caregivers. We explain what to check and point you to ORCAA Connect when you are ready to look at real providers.
Popular locations
Local guides covering how care searching tends to work in each area — coverage, travel, timing and what to confirm before you commit.
Caregivers in SydneyGreater Sydney, New South WalesCaregivers in MelbourneGreater Melbourne, VictoriaCaregivers in BrisbaneGreater Brisbane, QueenslandCaregivers in PerthGreater Perth, Western AustraliaCaregivers in AdelaideGreater Adelaide, South AustraliaCaregivers in Port MacquarieMid North Coast, New South Wales
All location guidesWhy you can trust this site
Independent editorial
Our guides are not paid placements. Providers cannot buy a mention, a ranking or a recommendation on My Caregiver.
Careful with numbers
Where we discuss costs we explain how pricing is structured and where to find current published figures, rather than quoting numbers that quietly go stale.
Clear about our role
My Caregiver is published by ORCAA and uses ORCAA Connect as its provider-search service. We are not a government service and we do not arrange care ourselves.
Read our editorial policy or about My Caregiver.