Emergency Respite Care: Breaks For Carers
Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes
If you feel like it’s needed, then taking a break from care is really important. Respite care is a short-term solution - often for one or two weeks - where a different respite carer takes over your responsibilities.
These respite breaks can be planned or unplanned, depending on the circumstances, and can take place in your own home or a respite care home.
We’ve discussed emergency respite care and respite care in general, including the different options, making a care plan, respite care costs, funding and the benefits to carers and those receiving care.
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In this article on emergency respite care:
- What is emergency respite care?
- The different options for respite care
- Responsibilities of respite carers
- Making a respite care plan
- Costs of emergency respite care
- Funding respite care
- Helpful resources
What is Emergency Respite Care?
Emergency respite care refers to a range of respite services (often in a care home setting) that are aimed at covering the needs of a dependent person in case their regular carer is unavailable, due to unexpected circumstances.
While this often isn’t thought about too much until the need arises, making provisions for emergency respite care is really important and will provide a sense of comfort and relief to all concerned.
Think about who you could contact during an emergency. This could be a relative, a friend or a neighbour. Ideally, this person would step in for a few hours while any arrangements are made. Make sure this person has door keys and knows the type of care the person you look after will need.
Respite care itself means taking a temporary break from caring for a family member while they're looked after by someone else. This allows you to relax and take some time for yourself, to prevent exhaustion and feeling run down.
Respite care comes in several different forms. It could mean someone regularly visiting the home of the person you’re caring for. It could also refer to a respite care home or adult day centre. Respite holidays are another popular option - where carers can take break that's well-earned, whether this be with or without the person they care for.
The Different Options For Respite Care
Respite care homes
The most common form of respite care is through a respite care home. Here, short-term relief can be provided to caregivers. If you’re the caregiver then rest assured that while the person you’re caring for is in a respite home, they’ll be well looked after. The staff at your chosen care home will sit down with you to discuss your loved one’s needs and their likes/dislikes, so you can be sure that everything is taken care of.
Our 2024 Care Seeker Survey shows that older adults often use temporary respite care as a way of transitioning into permanent care. The most common duration for respite care is around two weeks. During this period, your loved one will be supported in a home-from-home setting with all their personal needs taken care of.
It can be difficult to find space at short notice, but some homes take advance bookings which can help you when trying to plan ahead. For example, if you’re looking to book a holiday then you can match the dates with when you plan on taking this holiday.
Day care centres
Adult day care centres offer a planned programme of activities in a professional care setting. They’re designed to look after older adults who require support during the day, or those who are feeling a sense of isolation.
Above all, day care centres provide the opportunity for people who otherwise find it difficult to get out and about to socialise, make new friends and take part in fun activities. Some of the facilities and activities that could be included in a day care centre are singing, games, arts and crafts, hairdressing, foot care and assisted washing. Transport is often provided as well, but there may be a separate charge for this.
To qualify for council-funded day care visits, the person you’re looking after will need to have had a care needs assessment.
Finding a day care centre
Day care centres tend to be run by local councils or local charities.
To find out what’s available in your area, you can contact:
Your local authority’s adult social services team
Charities such as Age UK or Care Choices
Hiring a carer
Another option is to arrange for a paid carer to help out at the home of the person you’re caring for - this is also known as home care.
This type of respite service can either be full-time or part-time.
If the person you care for needs 24-hour supervision then you can arrange live in care.
If the required level of support is less stringent then you could arrange for a carer to visit one day a week, allowing you to work, study or take the day off. Alternatively, a respite carer could be hired for a short period - such as a week - so you can take a holiday.
The person you look after will have to get a needs assessment to qualify for council-funded home care.
Finding a carer
The following methods can all be used to locate an excellent respite carer near you:
Ask your local council's adult social care department for information on home care agencies in your area as they may have a home care agency directory on their website. Find your local social services team in England here
Search the NHS website for a list of local home care agencies and national home care organisations
You can ask the United Kingdom Homecare Association for a list of approved home care agencies in your area
The Carers Trust supports carers by giving them a temporary break from caring responsibilities through home care respite services
Contact Age UK and ask if they offer help at home from a paid carer in your area
Sitting services
Some charities and carers’ organisations offer sitting services. Here, a trained volunteer will keep the person you care for company. This will typically be for a few hours at a time, giving you the chance to relax, if only for a short period. This type of sitting service will either incur a small charge or be totally free!
Volunteers usually won’t provide personal care, but they can help with basic tasks like making meals or going to the shops, along with providing a friendly face.
With that being said, some sitting services do provide care. This means you can take a break, even if the person you care for needs lots of support, including personal care. These services employ paid support workers, as opposed to volunteers.
The person you care for will usually need an assessment before a sitting service can be used. This could be as simple as speaking with the organisation providing it, or having an assessment from the local council.
Finding a sitting service
The following organisations offer sitting services. You can click through these links to find out if a sitting service is available in your area:
Help from family and friends
While you’re caring for someone, friends and family might move into the home of that person on a temporary basis. Alternatively, they could invite the person you’re caring for to stay with them for a little bit.
Respite holidays
Respite holidays allow carers and people who need to be cared for to take a break from everyday life.
Finding a respite holiday
The following charities and organisations can arrange respite holidays in the UK:
MindforYou offer supported holidays in the UK. These holidays are aimed at people living with their dementia and their regular carers and are to be enjoyed together
Charities such as Revitalise offer subsided holidays for elderly or disabled people
Family Fund provides grants that go towards the cost of holidays for low-income families who are caring for a child with a severe disability
Family Holiday Association offers breaks at holiday sites, along with grants to help with the cost of a holiday. These grants are aimed at low-income families. To take advantage of this scheme, you’ll need to be referred by your social worker, GP or health visitor, or by a registered charity or other welfare agent
We’re here to help you find the right respite care home for you or your loved one. You can request a free list of respite care homes from our care experts, who will then share homes matching your budget and location. You can also search for a respite care home through our easy-to-use directory.
Responsibilities of Respite Carers
A respite carer is there to perform all the tasks that you’d do otherwise.
If you decide to hire a carer then they can either live in your home to provide round-the-clock care or make regular visits. This will be determined by a respite care plan which will be completely catered to you or your loved one’s needs. This support plan is created before any temporary care begins, to ensure that all your requirements are met.
Similarly, respite care homes, day centres and sitting services will offer an excellent level of support while you take a break from caring.
Your carer’s daily tasks could include:
Nursing care
Such as providing help with catheter or continence support.
Personal care
Assistance with day-to-day tasks like dressing, showering, eating and using the toilet.
Mobility support
Helping your loved one move around the house.
Administering medication
Ensuring the correct medication is taken at the correct time. Dosette boxes make it easier to ensure this happens.
Providing companionship
Providing companionship care by offering emotional support and somebody to talk to where needed.
Meeting dietary requirements
Cooking nutritious meals and going to the shops to get food as required.
Housekeeping
Tasks such as washing and drying clothes.
Transport and trips
Arranging day trips out, as well as visiting family and friends.
Pet care
If you or your loved one has any pets then these can be fed and cared for.
Making a Respite Care Plan
A respite care plan is a collection of documents and instructions that’ll help prepare a new caregiver when filling in for the primary caregiver who is taking a short break from care.
Creating a comprehensive care plan is important as the new caregiver will have all the information they need to create a safe environment for your loved one.
A respite care plan should include the following:
Medical information
Personal routines
Interests and activity ideas
Emergency procedures
Medical information
Your respite care plan should include the following:
Medications and dosage instructions. These medications should be kept in their original bottles and in an easy-to-access location
A medical summary with any background information that the caregiver ought to know
A comprehensive medical record in case the caregiver needs to refer to it during an emergency situation
Names and contact details of doctors
Any allergies; including food, medicines and materials
Personal routines
Understanding the day-to-day routine and habits of your loved one will make caring for them much easier. Be sure to jot down the following:
Typical sleeping, walking and meal times, along with any other routines a caregiver should know about
Times of day when your loved one has more or less energy, as well as any mood changes that may occur
Food suggestions - nothing improves somebody’s day like a delicious meal
Activities they may need help with, such as standing, walking, exercise, reading, personal care and hygiene
Interests and activity ideas
Brainstorm a list of all the things your loved one enjoys.
If you’re struggling with this, some of our favourite ideas include:
Writing letters and sending cards
Walking or similar gentle exercises
Music
Dancing
Brain teasers
Calling or video chatting with family and friends
Playing games
Emergency procedures
Whether you’re a carer, the person being cared for or a family member/friend, making an emergency care plan will go a long way to providing peace of mind if any unforeseen circumstances should arise.
Here’s what you should do:
Create a list of emergency contacts with names, relations, phone numbers, and addresses for everyone on the list
Provide information surrounding the nearest hospitals and emergency rooms, such as the address, phone number and opening hours (if applicable)
Costs of Emergency Respite Care
Our research shows that across the UK, self-funded residential respite care costs an average of £1,473 per week, £6,383 per month and £76,596 per year.
However, this figure can become much higher in certain circumstances, such as when your loved one requires specialist support from trained medical staff. For example, when around-the-clock care nursing respite care is required, this cost rises to £1,630 per week, £7,063 per month and £84,760 per year.
When only occasional help is required, you should instead look into respite costs per day.
Funding Respite Care
When it comes to paying for respite care, you or the person you care for can personally pay if you wish to. This is known as self-funding. The other main two ways of getting help with the respite costs incurred are from the council or through a registered charity.
Both your local council and the NHS can offer guidance and funding options for respite care. Charitable organisations like Carers Trust and Turn2us can offer assistance in finding grants for carers in need of respite with financial difficulties.
To get council funding, you’ll need to complete an assessment. Carers require a carer’s assessment while the dependent person will require a needs assessment.
The purpose of an assessment is to detail the exact needs and financial situation of the dependent person. Knowing this will help the council understand whether the dependent person qualifies for respite care and if it’ll need to be partly or fully funded.
Self-funding
If you or the person you’re caring for has to pay for respite care, then there are a few places that this money could be raised from:
Income from pensions, work, investments or any properties
Savings
Benefits like Attendance Allowance (check out our guide on Attendance Allowance pitfalls to avoid as well)
Charities
As we mentioned, there are two main charities to look out for when it comes to getting help with funding.
The Carers Trust offer some grants to carers who need respite services.
Meanwhile, the charity Turn2us can help you out with the process of finding grants. When clicking their link, all you need to do is enter your UK postcode, gender and age. Their simple-to-use search engine will then return several grants that are appropriate to you or the person you’re caring for.
Council funding
Councils will only partially or fully pay for respite care when those requiring it have passed a needs assessment and carer’s assessment.
If you or the person you care for requires respite care, the council will then conduct a financial assessment to work out if they’ll pay towards it or not.
If you or the person you care for qualifies for council-funded care, you can ask the council to arrange this for you. You can also do this yourself through a personal budget or direct payment.
Needs assessment
A care needs assessment is a special test that helps to identify somebody’s unique care needs, what kind of care is required and how much support they’ll need. A needs assessment is free and anyone can ask for one. Meanwhile, a financial assessment will determine if financial support is required.
You’ll need an assessment before the council can recommend a service like access to day centres or a short-term respite care home.
If the local council deems you or your loved one as eligible for local council care support then they’ll usually conduct a financial assessment as well, to see if they need to pay for some or all of the respite care costs.
You can apply for a needs assessment through GOV.UK.
Lottie matches care seekers with the best respite care homes for their needs. You can also request a free care home shortlist from our care experts, who will share homes matching your budget and location.
