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Last Updated
10 October-2004

Who are Carers?

A carer is a family member, parent, partner, significant other, friend or neighbour who provides care on an unpaid basis. The person they support may have a chronic illness, disability, mental illness or may be frail.

Caring is a natural part of life and all people will either provide or require care at some stage of their life. Caring may last a short time or it may last many years. Carers have added responsibilities compared to other people at the same stage of life, and thus require support during their period of caring. Carers may care for a few hours a week, or all day every day.

Caring for someone can be rewarding but also a demanding job and some people need extra assistance to manage. There are an increasing number of services out there for you and for the person you are caring for, although this can vary from area to area. Sometimes it can be hard to know, or to explain what you really need. Some people feel very strongly that everything should be kept in the family and that outside help is not necessary. Others find it hard to admit that they can't do everything, all the time, for the person they are caring for. Carer Respite Centres are there to help you, so don't feel ashamed, guilty or embarrassed about contacting us.

What is Respite?

Respite is a break from the responsibility of looking after someone. It may be for a few hours, a day, a night or even weeks. Respite is a way of relieving the stress of being a carer. Making time for yourself is important for your own health and well-being and to help you in your caring role.Respite is when another person takes over your caring responsibilities temporarily so that you can have a break. Respite can be provided by family members, friends, neighbours or trained workers. It can be in different places and can vary from a couple of hours to a few days or a number of weeks.Respite can mean different things to different people. To some respite may mean the person they care for to stay somewhere elsewhere (other than the home) for a an extended period, respite to another may mean a person to take on the caring role for enable the carer to go to shopping, occasionally. Respite can be staying together but giving the carer support. It may be a regular weekly event, it may be something that happens only once a year such as an extended holiday.Finding respite that suits the carer and the person being cared for is important.

What types of respite are available?

• In-home - a trained worker or volunteer comes to your home and looks after the person so that you can get out and do the things you need or want to. The worker can stay for an hour, overnight, or for a few days. Often the worker will call to your home and take the person being cared for out for outing. This is still called in home respite. In home respite can be one off, occasional or regular, at the same time each week.
• Day Care - is to provide social activities for older people or younger people with disabilities. The activities are usually held in a community centre or hall with a bus to pick people up from their homes.
• Residential or Centre based Respite - Usually used when the carer wants a longer break. For younger people with a disability, a cottage where other younger people with disabilities stay and where people can interact with others. For older people, in a nursing home or hostel, (depending on the level of care required) or a private residential cottage or house.
• Emergency - available to carers in times of crisis, such as: the carer becomes ill; the carer is hospitalised; there is a death in the family; there is a crisis in the immediate family that requires the carer, to be present; the demands of caring are too much and you need an immediate break from caring; the carer is not covered by existing emergency care arrangements in the area.
• One-off respite - This can include respite one-off events like weddings, parent-teacher nights, funerals etc.
• Holidays/Time Away - this includes when the carers go away on their own with respite provided for those being cared for or when both carer and the person being cared for go together. This can be an organised group with other carers or individually planed on a carer by carer basis.
• Host Family Respite - this type of respite involves a volunteer "family" offering to take a person with a disability(usually a child) into their home on a regular basis. The volunteers are screened and supervised by the service coordinating the respite.
• Vacation Care - this is respite subsidised by the Commonwealth government for children of school age with disabilities to enable them to take part in vacation programmes. Childcare centres can also attract funding for children with disabilities to help include them in the child care centre and give the parent a break.
• Other Supports for Carers - can include such things as domestic assistance, social support, meals on wheels, assistance with taking a holiday, education or goods and equipment.

What You Need to Tell Respite Workers

When a respite worker comes into your home it is essential before you go out to ensure the worker is aware of:

• all the health needs and medication regime of the person being cared for, 
• the usual routines of the person being cared for and what they can and cannot do for themselves, 
• a mobile or other emergency contact number in case you have an accident and any callers or visitors you are expecting.

Links

Carers NSW www.carernsw.asn.au
Carers Australia www.carers.asn.au
Centrelink www.centrelink.gov.au

Alzheimers Association www.alzheimers.org.au 
FNC & MNC Carelink - www.comcarelink.org
Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing  www.health.gov.au
Parkinsons Disease healthinsite.gov.au
Downs Syndrome
NSW Department of Ageing, Disabilities and Home and Community Care www.add.nsw.gov.au

Manning Valley Neighbourhood Centre www.mvns.org.au