Take a break from your caring role

To support you as a carer, we can help organise a break, known as respite care, tailored to your needs. Some organisations charge for respite care, while others provide it after assessing the person's needs.

Respite care means taking a break from your caring role while the person that you care for is looked after by someone else.

This could be for:

• a few hours each week
• a day off here and there
• one or 2 weeks for a holiday

You do not have to go away on holiday, some people enjoy some time off for meals or going to a gym or health class.

We will work together to find what is meaningful to you.

The types of respite care available include:

• day-sitting services – allowing you a break for a day or a few hours to meet up with friends, go out or have time for yourself
• day centres – where the person you’re looking after goes to a day centre or takes part in activities away from home
• residential or nursing care – the person you are looking after has a short stay in a residential or nursing home

If you are thinking about taking a break from your caring role, you can speak to us.

We'll arrange some time to complete a carers assessment with you. If eligible, we will:

• discuss the break that you would like to take
• consider the support the person you're caring for is receiving
• work with you to find the types of respite that might be suitable

As part of this respite care, the person you care for might need to have a financial assessment to determine how much they need to pay towards this.

If you are unsure where to start, call us on 01296 383 204 or contact us online.