New Dragon’s Den star

Hilary Devey is backing the Give Carers a Break campaign to push Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to give England’s five million unpaid carers the support they desperately need.

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Carers' respite leave 'to double'

There are a number of ways that you can take a break from your caring role. Some are suggested below, but you should not be limited by these as you can talk over your situation with a social worker or care manager and suggest other ways that might suit you better:

Types of respite care

There are a number of different types of respite care, which are described below.

• Residential respite care is where the person being cared for goes away to live and be looked after by someone else for a while. 
• Emergency respite care is where care is provided when someone is cannot fulfil their caring responsibilities due to unforeseen circumstances, such as illness. 
• Domiciliary care is where support is provided in the home to help out with some of the carer’s responsibilities for a few hours. 
• Day centre care is where the person being cared for spends time at a centre to allow the carer to have a few spare hours of their own

Who can access respite care?

Anyone who cares for a friend or relative who:

• is an older person
• has a learning disability
• has a physical disability
• Has a long term illness
• suffers a mental health problem may be able to access respite care services.

A diagnosis of dementia can come as a shock. Even if you have been half expecting it, this will be a worrying and upsetting time. It can also be hard for those close to you. You will all need a great deal of reassurance and support. However, there is much that you can do in the early stages that can help to make life easier and more enjoyable, both now and in the future.

As an introduction, you may wish to read our factsheet, What if I have dementia?  read more

Even though many families take great joy in providing care to their loved ones so that they can remain at home, the physical, emotional and financial consequences for the family caregiver can be overwhelming without some support, such as respite. Respite provides the much needed temporary break from the often exhausting challenges faced by the family carer..