Information to help provide a better understanding of respite care, so that you can decide if it is the best kind of care for you or a loved one at this time.
The main form of senior care in the UK is provided by elderly care homes who look after residents who stay there permanently. This type of care works well for a lot of people and you can get support in the cost of this kind of care.
This kind of care does not work for everybody though. The live-in care hub, a non-profit organisation formed by a group of live in care agencies, discovered that most people would rather not go into residential care if they become unwell or unable to care for themselves.
Aside from not wanting to go into a residential care home, in some instances it can be cheaper to receive different types of care, and you may not require full-time care in which case residential care is not appropriate.
Alternatives To Residential Care
The main alternative to residential care is live-in care, or respite care. Live-in care is a full-time care option where a carer lives in the home and provides care to their client. Respite care is provided on visits where a carer stays for an agreed period of time to take over the care from the family caregiver. They can stay for a few hours, a few days or a few weeks depending on the clients needs. Often family caregivers arrange a respite carer to visit at regular intervals so that they are able to avoid caregiver burnout.
Is Respite Care The Right Option For You?
Respite care works when there is excellent care in place for the majority of time, and additional help is needed sometimes to provide rest and recuperation for the caregiver. This arrangement works well when the caregiver is confident and happy with their care arrangement. There may however, be a time when more support is needed and when respite care simply isn’t enough. Hints that respite care is no longer suitable are:
- The person providing care now has care needs of their own
- Caregiver burnout is occurring too often
- Work-life or caring for children requires more input than it did before
- The physical demands of caregiving are too much
- The person receiving care requires specialist care with dementia or other conditions
- The person receiving care requires more dedicated companionship
It can also be that the person providing the care simply is unable to provide the care they once did, or they don’t want to. There is no shame or embarrassment in admitting this.
When respite care isn’t enough anymore then live-in care is a natural replacement. It means the person still gets to stay at home, but they will receive care and support 24/7 giving them the best possible quality of life. Live-in care packages are designed to suit the client so, care can be basic, or care packages can be elaborate and include additional services like gardening and accompaniment on holiday.
Moving On From Respite Care
If you do feel you need additional help and respite care no longer suits your needs, the first step is speaking to your GP and social worker about getting a care assessment. This will help you then move on to the next steps needed to setup live-in care. If you plan to pay for live-in care privately then you can make arrangements really quickly, sometimes within 24 hours.