The middle stages
When more help is needed.
In the middle stages, the person needs more support with daily life — and the people around them often need more support too. This is usually when families start to look at Support at Home, day respite, or carer counselling.
Bringing help into the home
Support at Home — the program that replaced Home Care Packages in November 2025 — can fund in-home help with personal care, cleaning, meals, and respite. The person needs an assessment through the Single Assessment System, what used to be ACAT, which is free.
Aged Care overview
Open in the app
Respite is not failure
Caring for a person with dementia is its own particular kind of tiring. Very few people can do it alone, indefinitely, without help — and you don't have to. Respite — a few hours, a day, a week — is medicine for the carer, and almost always good for the person being cared for too.
Carer Gateway
Call 1800 422 737 · 8am–5pm Mon–Fri (emergency respite 24/7)
Eating, dressing, toileting
These activities slowly get harder. Patience matters more than efficiency. Lay clothes out in order. Use simple plates with one food at a time. Allow extra time. Try not to take over until you really need to.
Medications
A Webster pack (dosette box) prepared by a pharmacist makes medication safer for everyone. Many GPs can also do a medication review to see what can be reduced or stopped — older people on dementia medications often end up on more drugs than they need.
See all 53 guides in Care & end of life →
From bluetulipco.com/library/end-of-life/middle-stages — printed 1 October 2026.
General information only — not a substitute for legal, medical, financial, or therapeutic advice. Read the full disclaimer.
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