Caring for Caregivers

1. The Home Care Specialists Caring For Caregivers A Guide To Respite Care At Home 25 Years

2. Introduction to RespiteCare at Home Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Care In The UK Helping Hands is a specialist provider of respite care. We’ve helped carers, individuals and their families for more than 25 years with our temporary care services. We believe an individual receiving care doesn’t have to leave their home when their carer takes a short break from their role. With the right level of support, quality care can continue in the environment they know and love best – their own home. 3. What Is Respite Care? 4. Why Might You Need Respite Care? 5. The Benefits Of Home Respite Care For Your Loved One 6. Concerns About Taking A Break The guide: You’ll find out: • Why you might need respite care • The benefits of home respite • care over residential respite • services • How to deal with concerns • about leaving the person • you’re caring for. 7. Preparing For Respite Care This guide has been created to show you the support that’s available to family carers when they feel they need to take a break. It outlines the importance of regular respite care breaks and examines the steps you should take before taking a break from your role. 8. Respite Care - A Case Study

3. What this means for you? As rewarding as providinground-the-clock care for a friendor a relative can be, taking onsole responsibility for someoneelse’s well-being can be That’s why it’s important for youto take regular breaks from caring - or a period of respite. exhausting. Over time this level ofresponsibility can have a negativeimpact on the health of you, the carer. Many carers will continue on untilthey reach breaking point - thepoint where they feel like they Care In The UK can no longer continue caring. The facts “It’s been estimated that around 6,000 people take on the role ofproviding care each day.” More and more people are basis. It has been estimated that stepping into the role of carer in theUK. In fact, it’s been estimated thataround 6,000 people take on therole of providing care each day1. 1.4 million3 of these carers providecare for more than 50 hours perweek. That’s more than 50 hoursa week in an intense role that requires full commitment. In 2011, it was found thataround just over one tenth of the population of England andWales were providing some formof unpaid care2. People who References provide unpaid care are known asinformal carers. 1. http://www.carersuk.org/about-carersuk/why-we-re-here 2. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census-analysis/provision-of-unpaid-care-in-england-and-wales--2011/index.html Informal carers look after lovedones, friends and neighbours 3. http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=546 affected by ill health on a voluntary

4. Residential respite services • Residential respite care is provided on a temporary basis in a residential care or nursing home, with the individual receiving care moving in to get the support they require. • Additionally day care services enable carers to enjoy a short break away from their routine for a couple of hours, and the individuals they’re looking after to continue to get the medical support they need. Home respite care • Home respite care sees the temporary carer move into the home of an individual to provide help and support for a short time. What is Respite Care? How long can abreak last? So, naturally, the length of aperiod of respite away from It’s temporary care caring is likely to vary significantlyfrom carer to carer. We’re all different. • Respite care is the care that’s provided when you, When looking after a loved onethis is especially true. You mightbe delivering ten hours of carea week. You may provide round-the-clock care for more than 50hours every week. It allows carers to take a coupleof days to several weeks awayfrom their role of caring for aloved one. the carer, step back fromyour day-to-day role • Another carer will take on your role to providetemporary care for theperson you’re caring for And that time is yours to dowhat you want to do with it - torelax, recharge your batteriesand return to your role feelingrevitalised. But regardless, you can’t do itall the time and you may findyourself in need of a short breakaway from your role. • There are two main types of respite care services in the UK - home respite care andresidential respite care.

5. Why Might You NeedRespite Care? The Home Care Specialists Recuperation There might be times when you require some time off to go intohospital - for example, to have an operation. In situations like this, the need for a break won’t necessarily beunexpected, but you’ll still need to have someone step in to takeover your role. You might need a respite carer to look after your loved one when you feelyou’ve reached breaking point, but it’s not the only reason. Here are some of the reasons why you might need to take a period ofrespite away from caring: You may also need time to fully recover. So, a respite carer couldhelp you should such a scenario arise. A break Trial period Caring requires a lot of commitment and a selfless attitude. Butit doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your interests, hobbies andspending time with friends. Choosing care is one of the most important decisions to make inlife, and you shouldn’t jump right into making a final choice. Because respite care is temporary, it’s ideal if you’re consideringcare options for a loved one. You can use it as a trial period to see iflive-in care is a good fit for both of you. In fact it’s healthy to have these things in your life.Respite services enable you to have time to partake in theseactivities and just enjoy a bit of ‘me time,’ which we all need on aregular basis. Holiday assistance Emergency respite care Having a respite carer doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t bearound too. If you become ill or suffer a personal crisis, you might not be able tobe there to care for a loved one. You may decide you want to go away on holiday with the personyou look after, but feel like additional short term assistance is necessary to enable you to enjoy the break as a family.A respite carer can come in and provide that practical support, soyou’re free to enjoy yourselves. Emergency respite care ensures your loved one continues to receiveprofessional support in such situations.

6. Respite care at home isdelivered on a one-to-one basis. This means the respite carer provides medical support for yourloved one and only your lovedone. Your loved one’s needs areat the core of home-based care. The Benefits Of HomeRespite Care For YourLoved One It’s also built aroundthe individual. This means there won’t be anyunnecessary changes to long-standing routines. They receivethe support they usually wouldand in the same way - retainingthat consistency. Consistency If you decide to take a break with someone entirely new taking from caring for a loved one, there on your responsibilities. are going to be changes for However, with home respite careyou both. Having a respite carer come into the home you can at least ensure that the can be good for the individual in that it allowsthem to get to know someone entirely new.Someone they can have new conversationsand explore new activities with. Think about the impact it couldhave on what they’re used to -their routines, their lifestyle, themedical support they receive andwho they receive it from. other important elements remainthe same. Rather than having to move intoan environment that’s entirelynew to them, as they would withresidential respite services, yourloved one can remain in the placethey’re most familiar with - theirhome. Consistency in all aspects of careis really important - whether it’speople, environments, the level ofsupport or routines. A respite care break can be good for everyone. With respite care this consistencybecomes even more important -

7. Concerns AboutTaking A Break A respite carer for life Many respite carers form strongbonds with the people they’velooked after on a temporary basis. These friendships last and oftensee them returning to provideshort term care on numerousoccasions throughout their You shouldn’tfeel guilty customer’s lives. There are many reasons why youmight feel like you can’t take abreak from looking after a Respite services forcomplex conditions A respite carer will never fullyreplace you and the role you play in the day-to-day life of yourloved one. But they will ensurethat they’re safe and that theirmedical needs are accounted forwith minimal disruption to theirlifestyle and routine. loved one. Complex conditions require veryspecific levels of medical support.If your loved one is affected Past research has shown thatone of the main reasons informalcarers don’t seek respite isbecause of a feeling of guilt. by a complex condition, it’sunderstandable that you might Respite carers -just like you You may feel like you should besolely responsible for your lovedone’s care needs, but there’snothing wrong with seeking feel that care from a third partyisn’t an option. However, there are many respitecare providers who offer specialistcarers. You can find carers thatunderstand the intricacies of It’s understandable that youmay feel anxious about leavingthe person you support withsomeone they don’t know. support when you need it.Everyone needs a break. caring for someone with MS(multiple sclerosis), Dementia,brain injuries, spinal injuries,cerebral palsy, and many othercomplex conditions. And by taking a break, whethera couple of days or a few weeks,you‘ll reduce the strain on yourhealth and wellbeing - feelinghappy, fresh, revitalised and But professional respite carers areno different to you. They’re trained to deliver medicalsupport in the home. They’re passionate about what they doand have the best interests ofthose they care for at heart -just like you do. ready to provide care again. There are also specialist respitecarers who can also provide nursing-led gastric, continenceand ventilation care in the home.

8. Stay in touch great ways to contact each otherand talk about what you’ve beenup to. Although you’re taking a breakaway from caring for a loved one,it doesn’t mean you can’t stayin touch. It’s also another useful way ofmaintaining that consistentpresence, allowing you to Regular phone calls or, if youhave access to the Internet,Skype conversations, provide reassure them if they’re nervous. Preparing ForRespite Care Communication is key Prepare the can then join your householdwithout disrupting what your respite carer Before you take a break from yourrole, it’s important to make sureboth you and your loved one feelcomfortable. emphasises to them that youwon’t be away forever. loved one is used to. Talk with the respite care providerand make sure they have a clearidea of your loved one’s medicalrequirements, routines, likes This preparation is beneficial foreveryone - especially you. Themore prepared the respite careris to come and provide care, thesafer in the knowledge you’ll be,able to feel that your loved onewill be getting the support Find out more about therespite carer Be open and discuss it as a unit and dislikes. - with your friends or family.Understand that it’s okay to takea break. If they feel anxious about theprospect of you going, reassurethem and let them see their Reputable respite care agencieslike Helping Hands use what’sknown as a digital support plan(or a DSP, for short). This planis simply used to map out all ofthese key elements and is filled they require. respite carer’s profile. Here, theycan get to know a little bit abouttheir temporary carer before theperiod of respite takes place. Let them know where you’regoing, how long you’re goingto be away for and when you’recoming back. Although it mayseem like basic information, it You can then go away, free ofworry, to relax and enjoy somewell-deserved time off. out digitally. Your temporary carer

9. be refreshing for Stephen, whostruck up a bond with his respitecarer - becoming friends overtheir mutual love of music. world of good to be away fromeach other for a short period oftime. The break was welcome forme, and gave my Dad the chanceto have someone new around thehome to get to know and spendtime with.” Following the break, Joseph said:“The break wasn’t just what Ineeded, but also what my Dadneeded too. It did us both the Respite Care -A Case Study Need moreInformation? The Home Care Specialists We hope that this eBook has helped you to understand that it’s okayto take a break, and reassured any concerns you might have had aboutrespite care. Respite for a father and son Joseph, of St Albans, has been hisfather’s carer for more than support he provided on a dailybasis from a respite carer, he A period of respite is always an option if you feel like you need to takesome time away. three years. continued on with his role until hereached breaking point. If you’ve got any questions or want to know more visit:http://www.helpinghandshomecare.co.uk/respite.aspx, contact ourfriendly team of respite care advisors today. They’re always happy toprovide their advice and support. Stephen is affected by multiplesclerosis (MS), which means thathe needs constant support to getaround the family home. Havinglargely been the only person toprovide care for his father duringthat period, Joseph found himselfincreasingly feeling tired At this point Joseph contactedHelping Hands for temporary care. To speak to a member of Helping Hands’ respite care team,call: 0808 180 1041 Whilst Joseph took a coupleof weeks off to rest, a respite This guide has been created by Helping Hands, a provider of live-in,hourly and respite care at home, across England and Wales. carer temporarily moved into hisfather’s home. and lethargic. To find out more about Helping Hands and the home care services itprovides, visit: http://www.helpinghandshomecare.co.uk As well as allowing Joseph toenjoy his first holiday in fouryears, the time also proved to Afraid that his father wouldn’treceive the consistent level of