Respite care (which is also known as ‘short stay’ care) provides an unpaid carer with some time away from their caring responsibilities. Sometimes respite care is also a period of rehabilitation after a hospital admission or operation.
There are four main types of respite care:
- Care home
- Domiciliary care (care in the person’s own home)
- Day centres
- Respite holidays/hotels
These can range from a few hours so an informal carer can have a short break, to a longer term stay in a care home to enable the carer to take a holiday.
Benefits of respite care for people with dementia and their loved ones
Questions about funding care?
Care Sourcer’s friendly care experts are on hand to provide guidance on typical care costs, help you explore your funding and benefit options, or even negotiate care fees on your behalf. Call us on freephone:
(Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
Benefits of respite care include:
- Giving carers a much needed break from the day-to-day responsibilities of caring
- Allows the opportunity to plan holidays or events
- Is an opportunity to introduce and trial alternative care services that may be needed in the future
- Gives the person with dementia an opportunity to interact with others having similar experiences and participate in new activities
Cost of respite care
According to research by the UK Care Guide, the average cost of respite care is usually around £7-800 per week.
However it can be as much as £1,500 a week for emergency respite care, live-in care, or staying in a care home.
Funding may be available for respite care – the amount of funding you receive for care and the specific cost for the care will change significantly depending on the country you live in and your specific circumstances.
Read more about paying for respite care.
Information to give to respite care providers
Before starting respite care, take some time to think about and write down the preferences of the person being looked after. This could include:
- daily routines
- food and drink preferences
- hobbies and interests
- favourite television and radio shows
- particular ways to comfort them if they become distressed
Plus emergency contact numbers for family and GP, etc.
Paying for regular help at home
If you think that a person with dementia would benefit from having someone help them in their home on a more regular basis, you could also consider arranging regular domiciliary care (also known as care at home, and home care).
Domiciliary care can be appropriate if help is required with practical tasks or personal care without a move to a care home. This type of care can help people with dementia to stay in their own home.
Questions about funding care?
Care Sourcer’s friendly care experts are on hand to provide guidance on typical care costs, help you explore your funding and benefit options, or even negotiate care fees on your behalf.
Call us on freephone: 0800 098 8299 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
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