Respite Care
What is Respite Care?
How do I get it?
What does it cost?
Find out more
Respite Care Services
What is Respite Care?
Respite care means a break from caring. Respite care can be:
- Residential - the person you care for goes away from home to be looked after by someone else for a while, in a residential care home, respite care centre, or on holiday
- Domiciliary - someone comes into your home and takes care of the person you care for a few hours or overnight, to give you both a break
- Day Care - giving you both a few hours respite during the day
Respite care can be provided in a variety of places such as a
hospital unit, a care home, a purpose-built respite care centre or
in your own home for a period of up to six weeks. In some
circumstances, respite care can also mean financial assistance to
go on holiday or to employ a home care worker to give you a
break.
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How do I get it?
To access respite care provided by your Local Authority, you will need to arrange to have an Assessment of your Care Needs for the person you care for. There is often a waiting list for respite care.
Your needs for respite as a carer should also be taken into account as part of your Carer's Assessment.
Respite care must benefit the person being cared for and as a carer you are entitled to a certain amount of time for respite care.
What does it cost?
Local authorities can charge for respite care (there is no
charge if the service is provided by NHS). The local authority
should explain any charge to you before the service is
arranged. The amount you have to pay towards the cost may
depend on the outcome of a financial assessment.
Find out more
Find out more at the Scottish Government's 'Short Breaks' webpage
The following organisations can provide further information on how to access respite care:
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
Respite Care Services
The following Respite Care services are listed in our Care Services Directory. To narrow the list by location, please enter a town or postcode in the box at the top-right of this page.
last updated 14/03/2011
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