New resources to support carers with taking a break

All about caring
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We know it’s not always possible but having a break from your caring role is so important.
Today, we’re launching our new hub of resource to support carers with taking a break. The resources include a video series, an information fact sheet and feature stories from carers talking about their experiences.

You can have a look at the suite of resources here: Taking a break | Carers UK

Thank you to Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and Department of Health and Social Care for working on this project with us.

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Thanks Lizzie … better late than never ?

Immediate thought … PRICE / COSTS … if any are involved , that might exclude half the carer army ( Eat / heat / roof ).

Lone carers … someone will be looking after their caree no doubt … at a price ?

Is it easy to locate that information to save me trawling through … a couple of real heavyweights are taking priority as I type ?

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( We did have one Crossroads rep ( Part of The Carers Trust ) on this forum offering breaks a short while ago.

At a price and … as we were told … grants are available from your LA ( Given cutbacks , a real post code lottery !!! )

I’ll try to locate and post that link.

Well buried … any other reader recall it … particularly key words in the thread heading ???

In it’s absence , direct link to the Crossroads scheme : https://www.crossroadscaresurrey.org.uk/

Not only Surrey , other branches are offering a similar service.)

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My question possibly answered :

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Funding

On the other hand, it is also worthwhile to see if you’re entitled to any funding. Our pages about assessments provide more insight into the process and what’s involved for both you and the person you care for. They provide more details about contacting your council or local health and care social trust (Nothern Ireland) to find out more and know what to expect.

If , as I now suspect , said scheme … welcome as it is for many … will do NOTHING to assist HALF the carer army and … lone carers even with a little more monetary resources
… from " Enjoying " a break from caring … UNLESS their LA coughs up the ante ???

( Shades of the Care Act debacle … no monies … what exists on paper does not exist in reality ??? )

Perhaps CUK could confirm that for the benefit of all readers ???

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I would love s break but I can’t find anyone willing to work 100 hours a week for £66 to cover for me !!!

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Yep … 15 TIMES what you get as Carers Allowance needed to replace you , Ian … less if it’s a minimum survival wage job.

And … 2 and a bit carers … to comply with the Working Hour Week directive.

That’s assuming you employ them direct … with all the Employment Act trimmings to boot … £ 15+ per hour through an agency ???

Don’t forget the hours you manage to sleep … a bugle call from your caree has a nasty habit of shortening those !

Cap in hand to your LA for monies to fund that … passing a dozen former employees on their way out … who have just been
made redundant as there are now not enough monies around to pay them ?

Expect a warm welcome … and a quick exit !

BACK TO THREAD !

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Save me reading it , is there any difference to all the other " Respite " schemes out there ?

All virtually dependent on how much you have in your wallet / purse … or down the side of your second hand sofa …
for half the carer army ?

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A “break” doesn’t necessarily have to be holiday - it could be just 2-3 hours once or twice a week; enough time to meet up with friends or take an exercise class. When I was caring for my Mum (Alzheimer’s) she used to go to a Day Centre once a week and I used the time to go shopping (for myself !) or to meet a friend for coffee - some times I used the time to catch up on much needed sleep !. Occasionally my sister would look after Mum for an afternoon so that I could go back to my own home and attend to much needed maintenance there. Another time my nieces “Granny sat” for an evening so that I could go to the theatre. The longest break I had from caring was 5 days when my Mum went into residential respite care so that I could visit friends in Devon (and yes, there was a cost involved with that) but generally I got by on short, reasonably regular breaks of up to 4 hours. Truthfully they were a lifeline.

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Agreed Suzie.

As for a short break … £ 15 per hour for someone to replace me … so , a trip to the local cinema … walking
there and back … out for say , three hours … that would cost £ 45 … tack on the price of entrance.

And … that was back in 1998 … have things changed since then ?

Fine for those carers with monies and family … what about the legion of lone carers out there with neither ( Except for their caree ) ???

How do they get a break … and I speak from 10 years of first hand experience ?

( 10 years of me and my caree … virtually joined at the hip ! )

In short , they do … provided their caree goes with them … sometimes everywhere as was so in my case.

The very last thing we need is chasms opening up between carers in CarerLand … those who have / those who have not …
one for CUK to mull over , very carefully !!!

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If a carer is lucky enough to have a break do you think it will make everything ok IF a carer is lucky toget a break they still have all the other problems to come back too, lack of money !!!
My partner has physical and mental health issues one of which is social anxiety she can’t cope with strangers, so I could not relax been away so this help is no help at all…

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EVERY carer should be entitled to an annual holiday. My friend cared for her mum for many years, there was a lovely respite centre that operated like a hotel, you could book your slot well in advance, so you could plan a proper holiday.

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Agreed BB … even a minimum of a 4 weeks break … just like any worker.

( Australian carers have such a scheme … yet to investigate preisely how it works. )

Trouble is … monies … half the carer army are juggling the Unholy Trinity on a daily basis … eat / heat / roof … food /
energy / housing costs.

Odds are even money that the figure will rise to 4 MILLION by the end of this year.

Where will the monies come from ?

Even then , if most of that half are in debt … a straight choice … a paid break or pay down debt.

Took me 8 years and a bit to clear all my debts … mainly for essentials incurred during my 10 year stretch … after my caring days ended.

A lot out there will be in the same boat … the SS Titanic !

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Alongside the respite there should be a holiday fund, after all everyone else gets a right to a holiday, why not us?

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Same consideration … a break or pay down debt.

In that respect , carers in the lower half with a family … pressure must be enormous … I see it with zero hour contact
workers with young families locally … not knowing from one day / one week / one month to the next if monies will be
comng in … all with a relative fixed level of expenditure … watching the gap become a chasm.

As for the latter … debt … interest rates will not continue to be this historically low for much longer.

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Oh … for the want of a Poll facility on threads like this one ?

Good idea ?

YES or NO.

Some might attract a couple of hundred responses for CUK to gauge … close after a calender month ?

A YES and then persue … a NO and then either revamp or bin ( Or persue whatever the outcome ? ).

Two thirds + 1 either way … and no Brexit type stalling ?

Would certainly " Revolutionise " the current relationship between CUK and us … the mere proles ?

A sense of " Our " organisation returning ?

Given time … polls of our own addressed to CUK … may save time at that agm … questions from the floor ?

BACK TO THREAD … solely lacking in replies as I type … and clarification from CUK.

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How do i post a message please?

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Hi Margaret.

Just repeat what you just did under any thread that appeals to you.

Plenty to chose from.

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The thing I found hard was to get one-off cover for medical appointments. Agencies seemed to want regular bookings and even the sitting service couldn’t find anyone for me. My daughter had to come (five hours travelling in each direction!) so I could go to a hospital appointment for myself. It put me off even thinking about a real break and stopped me taking proper care of myself, as I didn’t want to impose on her too much.

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The bane of a lone carer , Dusty ?

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Yep. It was manageable while he could leave the house (eg I’d get us consecutive appointments at the dentist and we could go in together) but once he was housebound that option disappeared.

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Check out this posting in the “Tour ‘how to’ guide for using the forum” at the bottom of the main index.

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/forum-guide/your-how-to-guide-for-using-the-forum/how-to-write-your-first-post-22174

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In anticipation of CUK confirming that this service is NOT free , a link to WHICH on the subject of what’s out there
in the way of funding for respite care :

https://www.which.co.uk/later-life-care/carers-and-caring/respite-care/financing-respite-care-abpc97y57f2y

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Financing respite care.

There are several options open to you when it comes to financing respite care, such as funding from the local authority, charities or self-funding.

One route is through a Carers Assessment … waiting time for that … a real post code lottery !

This scheme launched in June … might be winter before you have that " Carers Assessment " … ?

( Had to smile … use of AA mentioned to fund respite care … for the carer ? … oh dear … tax free monies passing from caree to carer ??? https://www.carersuk.org/forum/support-and-advice/carer-disability-benefits/attendance-allowance-pip-dla-sdp-paid-to-family-carer-there-are-problems-not-advertised-33078?hilit=attendance%20allowance )

In short , a cap in hand job … you may get free respite care but … someone needs to look after your caree in your absence
… is that " Free " as well ?

" Wanna go and watch a film squire ? Okay , let us know , and we’ll look after your caree. Only cost you £ 15 per hour , £ 20
at the weekend. Fully booked for the next three weeks , anytime after that. "
( Slight variation on what was offered to me … no weekend rate was quoted … back in … 2001 ? … have things changed
over the past 18 years ? )

Now … a break for a few days … possibly a week ?

And , if a temporary place in , say , a care home is needed … what’s the cost of that in 2019 ?

Vacancies at short notice ?

Local or … 5 / 10 / 20 miles away … fine , if you have your own transport.

How does this Scheme stack up against the actual reality out there ?

7.8 MILLION family / kinship carers … how many will get to hear about this ?

Perhaps CUK would care to expand on this … just a little would be fine ?

If it is FREE , and no charge for replacing yourself as the carer , CUK will definately be onto a winner.

Yep … the phrase … beware Greeks or CUK bearing gifts … springs to mind here ?

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I think an excellent and really useful start. But doesn’t really cover what to do when your caree won’t accept care from anyone else. A common story on here. The carer stories are all about the people that have managed to get away and have a lovely time. What of those who’s caree has emotionally blackmailed them into staying? Or who social services refused to help because their caree didn’t consent to going into respite or outside help coming in? Which is what happened after my Mum had a suspected TIA, Dad couldn’t be forced to have outside help in.