Short breaks for carers

Respite care

Respite is short term care to give carers a break. The length of the break will be agreed as part of an assessment, and is based on individual needs.

Respite can be:

  • care in a care home for a week or longer to enable a carer to go on holiday or have a longer rest
  • care at a day centre or care home
  • care at a person’s home by a trained person for a few hours to give a carer a short break – this can include sitting and talking to the person being cared for, help to get a cared person up, washed and dressed and preparing meals

Anyone receiving respite will be assessed to decide how much they need to contribute towards the cost. Services provided directly to carers are normally free. Respite services can be arranged by us or a sum of money, known as a personal budget or direct payment, can be awarded for you to make arrangements.

There are other services to help the person you care for with social activities. These are provided by a range of organisations and can be one-off or on a regular basis.

Shared Lives

Shared Lives is a scheme where a carer shares their home, family life, interests and skills to help a person live independently. Overnight, weekend or short breaks can give an opportunity to have a break from taking care of someone.