Read about respite care: what it means, how to arrange it and how it might be able to help you and your family.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Family Care-Givers
What Is Respite Care?
The Different Types Of Respite Care
The Importance of Respite Care
The Under-Rated Benefits of Respite Care
Planning Respite Care
Find Out About Respite Care Before You Need It
Setting Up Emergency Care
Respite Care Funding
 

Family Care-Givers

Family caregivers have always been and still are an important part of the system of care provided in the UK. They provide unpaid care to elderly loved ones in their own homes. This kind of care enables elderly family members to stay safe and as independent as possible, surrounded by the people they love, in a place familiar to them.

Although family caregiving is often a good care solution for many families, it does still have its problems. One of the main problems is that the time and energy required to provide care can lead to exhaustion – commonly known as caregiver burnout.

This is where the person providing the care has ignored their own needs for so long, and endured all of the emotional and physical strain of caregiving without support for so long, they simply burnout and break down. This kind of burnout can take months, or even years to recover from and is clearly best avoided for the good of everyone’s health and well-being.

There are many ways to avoid caregiver burnout, such as getting support for the emotional side of caregiving and sharing some duties with other family members if you can. Caregivers can find it hard to put themselves first because they think it takes some level of care away from the person they are caring for. Yet, caring for yourself first ultimately helps you and your loved one, because you are happier, healthier and able to be the best carer you can be to your family member.

Caregivers can also access vital help and relief from their challenging duties in the form of respite care.

What Is Respite Care?

Respite care is where the family caregiver providing care is able to take a break from caring whilst a qualified carer takes over from their duties. Respite care can be specialist, or simple companion care and can last as little or as long as it is required.

Carers may require respite care because they need a regular arrangement where they can tend to other commitments or interests. A couple of weeks break might be needed for a holiday or to recuperate health levels or perhaps some time is needed for an emotional break. The position of being a carer can be draining and challenging, and caregivers can require respite care for a wide variety of reasons.

The person who receives care also benefits from respite care. They are able to meet somebody new, and sometimes lots of new people in the case of respite day care. They may also need care from a person who has specialist experience and training that their family caregiver does not have.

Respite care may be needed in the case of a medical occurrence like a stroke, or a major operation like knee replacement surgery, where specialist support is required for recovery. Sometimes respite care is also used as preparation for permanent residential or nursing home care.

Respite care is incredibly flexible and can sometimes be provided within 24 hours from a private company. It is care on demand and there are many benefits to both the family caregiver and the person receiving care.

The Importance of Respite Care

Respite care is not just beneficial to both the person requiring care and the family caregiver, it is essential.

The Importance Of Respite Care For Carers

Caring is an incredible gift to your loved one, enabling them to stay with the people they love, in a place they feel comfortable and valued. However, it can be so consuming for some that it takes over their life, and a person can feel their only value is being a carer, and they lose a sense of value in their own right.

Caring for somebody full time can take up so much physically and emotionally, and some caregivers may also have to deal with the demands of a career, a partner, children and their home life.

Respite care is important to enable family caregivers to deal with tasks that are difficult to complete whilst caring. It also enables the person to do things they enjoy doing ‘just because’ or just for themselves. It enables them to spend time by themselves, something many caregivers neglect to do, which ultimately results in them being emotionally and physically drained.

Carers will be better able to care if they feel strong and healthy in themselves, benefitting both themselves and their loved one.

The Importance Of Respite Care For The Person Needing Care

On the most basic level, the person needing care wants their carer to be happy, healthy and wants the best for their family member. In addition, they benefit from the person caring for them being as healthy and happy as possible, because it means they get the best possible care.

Respite also helps both parties to get a bit of a break, and a bit of time apart, which no matter how much two people love each other, is important. The person being cared for is also likely to benefit from the company of another person, and in the case of daycare, from being around other people of a similar age and interests.

They will also benefit from activities, events and hobbies put on by the daycare team. At the very least, they will also benefit from being in a different environment, such as the daycare centre, a relative’s house or in a holiday environment.

The Under-Rated Benefits of Respite Care

Respite care is becoming increasingly recognised as a way of providing continuous essential support to those requiring care. Whilst it also serves to give the primary carer a much-needed break there are several lesser thought-about advantages which make it a valuable option for families and care-givers.

New opportunities for socialisation and independence

For individuals who primarily rely on at-home care, a period of respite care provides the opportunity to enjoy a change of environment such as spending time at a community centre or care home where they can interact with others. Socialisation can help promote improvements in mood and well-being by ensuring the person receiving care does not feel isolated or lonely.

Respite care can help to build confidence and independence by providing the chance to interact with different carers and participate in new activities. In some circumstances it could even encourage the development of new skills, hobbies or interests.

Enhances quality of life

Respite care can benefit an individual by providing opportunities for change with the chance for exciting new experiences. A different setting with new people and new activities can provide a significant boost to morale, well-being and day-to-day quality of life.

Preparation for long-term or future care

It is understandable that someone who has lived in their home and area perhaps for decades should prefer to stay in their home. After all, it is difficult to leave friends and familiar routines. This is why care at home is invaluable as it allows an individual to remain in a much-loved home. Many people, as they get older, refuse to give up their independence and find it difficult to accept outside help, relying on the goodwill of family or friends to help out when needed.

Sometimes though, things can become strained and difficult especially when the individual starts to need more enhanced daily care and family members or friends are unable or unwilling to provide this.

Short-term or temporary respite care provides the ideal solution as it helps the individual needing care to become used to the idea of having someone to care for them. Over time they will come to realise the benefits and advantages of a carer.

Specialised care for complex needs

Respite care facilities sometimes have staff trained in specialist areas such as dementia care, mobility aid, nutrition or mental health care. The ability to provide the kind of specialist medical, therapeutic or emotional care may not be feasible at home. Professional care can help to prevent potential medical complications or emotional crises while at the same time giving peace of mind to the primary carer who will likely be glad of the professional support. Information, guidance and advice received can be beneficial in enhancing the quality of care once the primary care-giver resumes their role.

Along with the benefits for primary carers such as allowing them to continue with a career or education, or simply giving them the chance to rest and recharge their batteries, these previously unrecognised and underrated benefits provide clear evidence for why respite care is becoming an essential service.

Planning Respite Care

Although emergency care is often available to those who need it, planning ahead is really important and beneficial in most cases. This is particularly true if you are new to care and don’t know local contacts or processes.

It is really important to talk to your local authority if you believe the respite care could be funded by them, or talk to a local respite care provider if you expect to be paying for the care privately. You will need to detail the care needs of your loved one to ensure the right respite care is provided, and involve them in the discussions if appropriate.

The process should in no way be distressing and care providers are very sensitive to the different emotions both you and your loved one will be experiencing if this is the first time of using respite care. You should, however, explain in detail how and when you currently provide care so the respite care will be a success.

Finding Out About Respite Care Before You Need It

It is a really good idea to look into respite care before you actually need it. It helps you connect to any local services you may need quickly, and it ensures you know what is on offer in the case that you do want to plan something in advance, like a holiday. Here are some of the best sources of information for care available in your area:

• Your GP
• Local council / social services
• Family and friends
• https://www.carechoices.co.uk/publication-type/regional-care-services-directories/

Setting Up Emergency Care

It is important to have emergency care setup in the event you are unable to provide care for your loved one. If you have an accident, get ill, need to support family members or friends or even need to be at work unexpectedly, you should have care arrangements made for your loved one.

A friend or a relative might offer to be available at certain times, and even a neighbour could help in some instances. Rather than giving keys out, consider a door code for your front door that you can share the code to the person going to provide care in an emergency. A basic care guide easily visible in your home could also be a really handy emergency resource.

Other Ways Carers Can Support Their Own Health & Well-Being

Respite care is an amazing resource all family caregivers should utilise regardless of how well they feel and if you do need to get certain things done, or if you simply want to go on one holiday a year, you will need respite care at some point.

At the very least having respite care setup in the case of an emergency is a very practical and important thing to do. It is also a really good idea to work on supporting yourself in addition to any respite care, to ensure that you stay as healthy and happy as possible in your role.

You deserve help too, you deserve to have your own good health just like everybody else so do draw on every possible resource to ensure you are the healthiest and happiest you can be. Here are some suggestions to help you maintain balance in your caregiving role:

• Utilise support and information available to you from organisations such as https://www.carersuk.org/
• Invest in your own personal hobbies and interests, even if you can only do so once a month
• Stay as physically fit as possible
• Focus on your mental health, taking breaks when you need to, and investing in important services like counselling if you need them
• Don’t be afraid to have a coffee with a friend and talk about yourself whether that is to have a bit of a moan, or to talk about the you that is not a carer, because that is not all that you are
• Recognise that you are a person deserving of respect, health and love in your own right
• Consider mindfulness practise day to day, there are lots of free apps and videos available

Respite care, in addition to a good level of self care, make up the important parts of avoiding caregiver burnout and ensuring everyone involved is as healthy and happy as possible. It does take a team effort, but simply recognising that you do not have to do this alone, is often the first step for a caregiver. You’re doing an amazing job, and in order to continue to do so, you need support, and you deserve it. Learn about respite care today to ensure that you have care support setup for a time when you need it. Preparation is key, and the peace of mind you’ll have from knowing the support is there if you need it, is priceless.