Respite care for carers

About this service

Everyone needs a change and time off occasionally, whether it's for an hour, a day or a week. This can be especially true if you are a carer - caring can be exhausting.

Having a break is more likely to help you cope with caring and give you necessary time for yourself to recharge your batteries. You may want a break so that you can follow up your interests or catch up with family or friends. You may want to plan a longer break to allow you to go on holiday.

The person you care for may benefit from a break too, from example by getting out the house, meeting people or taking part in interesting activities. The person who is receiving the care must consent to any care that they receive; the reality for some carers may be that the person you care for only wants you to look after them.

What is meant by respite care?

When we use the term respite care we mean care that is provided on a short term basis for those who need help and normally live at home, so that their carers can have a break from caring. Some people prefer the term "short breaks" to the term "respite". However, "short breaks" usually refers to shorter periods of care for a few hours or a couple of days, whereas "respite" usually means longer periods of alternative care.

What kind of respite care is available?

Respite/short breaks can take various forms and it is our aim to provide a range of services to meet different needs and preferences. It is provided after an assessment of your needs for a break and also an assessment of the person you care for.

Respite care can be:

Care in a care home for a week or longer to enable you to go away on holiday or have a long rest;
Care at a day centre, day care resource or a care home for a day to give you a break for a day or more a week;
Care by a trained person for a few hours in your home to give you a short break. This can provide a variety of help including sitting and talking to the person you care for, preparing meals, helping to get the person you care for up, washed and dressed. There are other services which can help the person you care for with social activities of their choice such as going shopping or to the cinema. These services are provided by a range of organisations and can be a one off or on a regular basis.

If the person you care for can pay for the complete cost of respite care you may decide to make your own arrangements. It is a good idea to ensure that the person has a community care assessment even if they are paying for the care themselves, you will then have a clearer idea about the kind of care they need.

Payment

There is currently no charge to carers for carers' services. If the person you care for has additional services, in order to give you a break from your caring role, those services fall within Wiltshire's charging policy and the cared for person will be financially assessed to make a contribution towards the charge. See Your Contribution towards services and Fairer Charging for further information.

Sitting services arranged through the Carers Grant are the exception to this rule and are provided at no cost.

Eligibility

You are eligible for an assessment of Carers Needs if you are providing, or intending to provide, regular and substantial care. You do not have to live in the same house or be related to the person you look after. You are eligible for your own assessment even if the person you care for has refused an assessment or services themselves.

There are eligibility criteria to make sure that services are provided fairly to support those people who need them most.

See Eligibility Criteria for more information.

Contact Details

Email: customeradvisors@wiltshire.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 456 0111