Respite and short stays
For a carer who hasn't had a proper break in years, or for someone coming out of hospital who isn't quite ready to be at home alone.
Most respite bookings we take come from one of two phone calls. Either somebody has just been discharged and the family has realised that a flight of stairs and an empty fridge is not a plan, or a husband or daughter has finally admitted they are on their knees.
Both are good reasons. The second one is the one people apologise for, and they shouldn't.
How it works
Ring us
Tell us roughly when and roughly how long. Two of our twenty residential rooms are kept back for short stays, so there's often something inside a fortnight.
A quick assessment
Donna visits at home or on the ward. For a short stay it takes about half an hour and it's free either way.
Bring a bag
Clothes, tablets, and something off the mantelpiece. A week is long enough to want your own things around you.
The same as everyone
Same rooms, same staff, same food, same quiz on Thursday. Respite residents aren't guests parked in a spare room.
Go home
On the day you booked, with a written note of how the stay went that's worth handing to a GP.
Or stay
Some short stays turn into permanent ones. If that's on the cards we'll say so, and we won't ask you to extend.
Summer and Christmas go first.
Two weeks in August and the fortnight around Christmas are what everybody wants, and we only keep two rooms back. If you know you need a break in the summer, ring us in about February and we'll pencil it in.
Hospital discharges are different and we'll always try to take those at no notice. If we're full we'll tell you the same day, and we'll ring round the homes we rate.
Things people ask about short stays.
Is a week really the minimum?
Yes. Shorter than that and the assessment, the settling in and the packing up take longer than the stay itself. A week is long enough for someone to find the dining room without asking and for the carer at home to sleep through twice.
What should she bring?
Two weeks of clothes even for one, her tablets in their original boxes, glasses, hearing aid batteries, and one or two things from home for the bedside. We'll name everything the day she arrives.
Will she have the same carers as the permanent residents?
The same people, the same rota. Respite residents eat with everyone, join the quiz if they want to and get the same named carer for the stay. Nobody is parked in a spare room.
Can the stay be extended if home isn't ready?
Usually, if the room isn't already booked. We'll tell you straight away if it is and help you find somewhere for the extra days. What we won't do is suggest extending; that decision is yours.
Respite is £1,240 to £1,390 a week.
One week minimum. It costs a little more per week than a permanent place because the room turns over and the assessment happens every time.
Paying for it
Short stays are paid in advance. If your relative has a council care package already, ask their social worker about respite funding before you pay for it yourself. Carers are often entitled to a break.
Have a look before you need it.
If a short stay might be needed later in the year, come and look round now. Half an hour, on an ordinary day.
Or ring us on 0116 496 0742