What is meant by Respite Care?
Respite care describes separate periods of care if you, or your carer, need to have a short-term break. Respite care can be provided either in residential care or at home, at the time of your choice. The breaks are only short-term and do not usually last for longer than three months of continuous care. This can be also provided in a emergency such as illness.
You can get some respite from your caring role in a number of different ways:
- Residential respite: The Person you care for goes away to be looked after by someone else for a while – residential or nursing care or on holiday.
- Domiciliary care: Someone comes into your home and takes over care for a while (a few hours or sometimes overnight) so you can go out or have some time to yourself.
- You can sometimes get a break when the person you care for is involved in other activities – for instance at school, at a Day Centre.
Assessment of needs by the Local Authority
The first step is usually to approach the local authority to ask for an assessment for the person you care for – and for you as his/her carer. The Local Authority social worker doing the assessments will consider the needs of the person you care for, and your needs as their carer, and consider what services they may be able to provide (bearing in mind local priorities and availability of services). They will also do a Financial assessment under their Charging Policy which means that you (or – more usually – the person you care for) may be charged for the services according to means.
Direct Payments
In this case, the Local Authority works out what services they think you may need and then, instead of arranging the services, gives you (or the person you care for) the money to buy the service directly from an appropriate agency or person. You could then use the money to employ somebody directly yourself if you wish. See the Department of Health website for more details.
