What is Respite Care and How Does it Work?
Many people who provide care do it for a family member or a loved one. Consequently, they’re pleased to do it and don’t consider it a burden. Nevertheless, it can be very trying and there are occasions when carers need rest.
Respite care is provided so that carers can take a break from their caring duties. These can be extremely tiring, both in a physical and a mental sense, and so it’s important they get the chance to rest occasionally.
Features and Benefits
Respite care in Perth is available for anyone who is being cared for. These can include children and adults with a disability, someone with dementia and older people who are too frail to do everything themselves.
Carers benefit from respite care because it gives them a break, allows them to go on holiday and means they’re refreshed and able to take up their duties again with renewed vigour. Those being cared for will also benefit because they get the chance to meet other people and take up different activities.
Care can be pre-arranged for long or short periods or can be emergency care that’s booked at short notice and may be necessary to cover the incapacity of the carer. In-home respite care may be provided informally by family members or friends but, when provided professionally, is of different types:
- short-term respite, possibly overnight or for a few hours, that may allow a carer to keep an appointment
- emergency respite care for children and adults, where the carer is unexpectedly taken ill or may be unavailable for other reasons
- regular respite care to cover annual holidays or other planned breaks
- care provided in a person’s own home or at a particular centre
- day-care that may happen at the same time every week and which enables the carer to attend to their own business.
The aims are to ensure that a person is cared for properly and that carers are able to do their job when available. Consequently, respite care has to be flexible, reliable and has to be able to provide the required level of care, which may be specialised for people with particular needs.
Providing the Care that’s needed
Organising Respite care in Perth is the responsibility of the person being cared for or, if this is not practical, their regular carer. Depending on circumstances, respite care may be provided at no cost while some services may require payment.
Some respite services are subsidised by the Australian government while others require a contribution to the cost. Any provided in aged care homes will generally attract a fee although accommodation charges may not be made. Anyone eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme may have the respite care costs covered by the scheme.
At Perth Healthcare and Support Enterprise, we provide a range of respite care services to cover all sorts of needs, such as respite care for children, special needs respite care and respite care for autistic children, and all types of payment arrangements. We provide disability support services that keep everyone safe and contented while giving carers the chance to take a well-deserved break in the knowledge that their loved ones are being looked after properly.
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