Caring for an older parent or a loved one who needs help — daily routines, dementia, falls, medication, care homes, costs, respite and looking after yourself. Type your worry, get a kind straight answer in seconds. The full detailed report costs less than a cup of coffee: $2.95.
Respite is not a luxury; it is the maintenance that keeps carers going. This planner compares the break hours you actually get — from family, friends and paid help — against a sustainable target of around 20% of your care hours, and shows the honest weekly shortfall. Most carers are shocked by the gap; closing it starts with seeing it.
Work out how many hours of real break you get each week versus a healthy target — and how to close the gap.
Time when you are genuinely off duty — not on call, not listening for the bell, not running errands for the person you care for. Four uninterrupted hours where someone else holds responsibility is worth more than a day of half-breaks.
Start with your area agency on aging or equivalent: many fund or subsidise adult day centres, volunteer sitters and short-stay care beds. Family and neighbours who 'would help if asked' are the other great untapped source — ask specifically, for a specific slot.
A widely used rule of thumb is about 20% of care hours as true personal time — roughly a day and a half a week for someone providing full-time care. Less than that for long stretches is how burnout builds. The planner shows your gap against that target.
Every tool answers instantly from our own knowledge and calculators. Want the deeper, personalised version? Each has a $2.95 full report.