Respite Question

My Mum goes in to a care home for respite when I go on holiday, I insist on it as it the only way I can switch off completely. Mum likes the care home but the issue I have is with booking her in. They told me that they could only confirm if they have room for her 2 weeks before she is due to go in, I have now managed to agree to make this a month in advance. It is stressful not knowing if she has a bed and if I will be able to go on holiday. Luckily it has never been a problem yet. Are there any rules/guidelines when it comes to respite?

This is a huge headache for many carers.
Compare it to my friend in Western Australia. 6 weeks guaranteed respite every year, in what amounts to a respite hotel!

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Are there any rules/guidelines when it comes to respite ?

Nope … it is literally every carer for themselves … usually through a Carers Assessment involving one’s LA.

The usual sting in the tail is … respite care is offered to the carer but … no funds are made available for someone else to look after their caree.

So , and given income , that rules out 4 in 5 carers … around 6 / 6.5 million from " Taking advantage " of any offer of " Free " respite care.

Hello, Lynda. I don’t know of any specific rules or guidelines. Perhaps others do and may advise on this forum. What I can do is try to see the care home’s point of view.

A care home is not like a hotel, where bookings are based on firm dates scheduled for leisure or business affairs, often known well in advance. At any time a care home may have a list of people interested in short- or long-term residence. Also, vacancies may arise suddenly and unexpectedly - residents may pass on or just leave for pastures new. Then there are residents that may be admitted to hospital but require their room to be retained for their return. So it is just not practicable for a care home to “book” a place well in advance, given that most residence require ongoing accommodation.

If in your case the home has agreed to a month in advance, this is probably as good as you are likely to get, though it could mean that the care home will consider your application a month in advance but will not necessarily be able to confirm anything immediately.

I know this is less than ideal but you could consider organisations like www.lastminute.com for booking your holidays. It appears to have a wide range on offer.

Finally, it is good that your mum likes the care home. It is helpful to the care home to have a good and regular customer. And the day may come when she needs to go in long term . . .