Aged Care Progress Notes: Examples and Templates

Aged care progress notes help the next worker, coordinator, or provider understand what happened during a visit. A useful note is short, factual, and easy to scan.

This guide covers what to include, weak and stronger examples, common mistakes, and Support at Home record prompts for 2026. It is a general operational resource only.

A simple progress note should usually include the date, time, person supported, worker name, service delivered, person's response, changes noticed, action taken, and follow-up needed.

Keep the note linked to the care plan or support instructions where relevant. Do not turn the note into clinical, legal, pricing, or funding advice.

Personal care example - weak wording: 'Helped with morning routine. Client seemed okay.' This is too vague. It does not say what support was provided or whether anything needs follow-up.

Personal care example - clearer wording: 'Attended morning personal care visit. Set up shower items and clean clothing as requested. Maria washed independently and asked for help fastening shoes. Maria reported no concerns during the visit. Bathroom was left dry before leaving. No follow-up requested.'

Domestic assistance example - weak wording: 'Cleaned house. Client happy.' This mixes a task summary with an opinion. It does not show what was completed.

Domestic assistance example - clearer wording: 'Completed kitchen clean, bathroom clean, vacuuming in lounge room, and folded laundry. John chose to sit in the lounge during the visit and talked about his garden. John asked for bedroom vacuuming to be moved to next visit due to time.'

Medication prompt example - weak wording: 'Meds given as usual.' This wording may not match the worker's role and gives little detail.

Medication prompt example - clearer wording: 'Prompted Aisha to take medication from the prepared blister pack at 8:30 am, as listed in the provider instructions. Aisha took the medication herself. No issue was reported during the visit. Medication prompt record updated.'

Incident during visit example - weak wording: 'Client had a fall. Family told.' This misses the timeline and the record trail.

Incident during visit example - clearer wording: 'At 2:10 pm, found Peter seated on the bathroom floor. Asked whether he wanted urgent help. Called supervisor at 2:12 pm and followed provider incident process. Daughter was notified by coordinator at 2:25 pm. Incident report reference added to the shift record.'

Avoid vague phrases such as 'all good', 'as usual', 'fine', or 'no issues' when a short factual description would be clearer.

Avoid copying the previous note. Even routine visits are not identical. Record what happened in this visit.

Avoid personal opinions about the person, family, or choices. Use observable wording such as 'declined shower support today' instead of judgemental wording.

Avoid hiding escalation details. If a coordinator, supervisor, nurse, or family contact was notified under local process, record the time, reason, and owner of next action.

Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care on 1 November 2025. Progress notes should stay consistent with the services actually delivered and the provider's own records.

From 1 October 2026, personal care contribution settings change under Support at Home. Progress notes should still focus on the service delivered, while price or contribution questions should be recorded in a care management or price discussion record.

For provider teams, the practical review question is simple: can another worker read this note and understand what happened, what changed, and what needs follow-up?

Use CaresLink templates as editable starting points. Your organisation should review wording, storage, escalation, privacy, and staff guidance before using any template in live records.