How was today?
Get it off your chest.
For anyone caring for a family member, partner or friend with illness, disability, mental illness or age. Put down what you're carrying.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to the person you care for, the care team or anyone else. Unladen Home is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any care provider or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
If the person you care for is safe, step into another room for a few minutes. Breathe. You're allowed to stop.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If you're at breaking point
You can't pour from an empty cup. Talk to someone today: someone close to you, Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) on weekdays, or Lifeline (13 11 14) any time.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add someone close to you, a friend or Carer Gateway in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling family or the care team, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes at the end of the day. Notice what you're carrying, and put down what you can.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell their doctor or care team, and call 000 if you're in danger.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. Ask someone to take over for a few hours if you can. Carer Gateway can help arrange respite.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Caring for someone takes something out of you
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Exhaustion
- Caring is often 24/7, with broken sleep.
- Respite is not a luxury. Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) can help you find it.
- Ask for help with one thing this week.
Grief and loss
- You can grieve someone who is still here, as they change.
- It's normal to feel sad, angry or relieved, sometimes all at once.
- Carer Gateway offers free counselling.
A crisis or hospital stay
- Crises can come suddenly. Write down medications and contacts somewhere easy.
- Ask hospital staff for a carer support worker or social worker.
- Look after yourself too.
Guilt and resentment
- Feeling resentful doesn't mean you don't love them.
- Guilt is common, especially about respite or residential care.
- Talk to someone who won't judge.
Money pressure
- Caring often means working less.
- Check if you can get Carer Payment or Carer Allowance through Services Australia.
- The National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007) is free.
Isolation
- Caring can shrink your world.
- A carer support group can help. Carer Gateway can connect you.
- Keep one thing that is just for you.
If the person you care for hurts you
- Being hurt by someone you care for, even if it's caused by illness, is not OK.
- Tell their doctor or care team.
- Call 000 if you are in danger. 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Exhausted all the time
- Feeling trapped or resentful
- Your own health slipping
- Not seeing friends
- Crying more, or feeling numb
These are very common for carers. They're signs you need support, not signs you're failing.
When to get more help
If it's been heavy for two weeks or more, talk to your GP. Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) offers free counselling, coaching and respite for carers.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
Support for carers
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
A care organisation can add its own support numbers here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Carer Gateway. Free counselling, coaching, respite and support groups, 1800 422 737, weekdays.
- Services Australia. Ask about Carer Payment and Carer Allowance.
- The care team. Ask for a social worker or carer support worker.
- A friend or family member. Ask for help with one specific thing.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Carers have the right to be involved and supported. Ask the care team what's available.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard day. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"I love them, but I'm exhausted."
"I need a break and I feel guilty asking."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in another room or on the way out. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Home
Unladen™ Home is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any care provider or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Home that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026