Download our taking a break factsheet
Everyone needs a change and time off occasionally, whether it's for an hour, a day or a week. This can be especially true for carers - caring can be exhausting.
Having a break is more likely to help you cope with caring and give you necessary time for yourself to recharge your batteries. You may want a break so that you can follow up your interests and catch up with family and friends. You may want to plan a longer break to allow you to go on holiday.
The person you care for may benefit from a break too. The reality for some carers may be that the person they care for only wants the carer to look after them.
If you need time off from caring for any reason, such as for a stay in hospital or to do with work, make sure that you are not asked to use your allocation of breaks services for this purpose. Carers UK believes carers should get breaks over and above the help they need to maintain their health, various roles and commitments, such as family and work.
Make sure that anyone who takes over from you has all the information necessary to adequately look after the person that you care for. Tell them how to contact you in an emergency.
What types of breaks are available?
Services in the home provide a variety of help, including sitting and talking with the person you care for, preparing meals, help to get the person you care for up, washed and dressed. There are other services which can help the person you care for with social activities of their choice such as going to the cinema, pub or shopping.
The services are provided by a range of organisations such as voluntary organisations, local councils or social services, health authorities and private agencies. You can find out local information about what help is available by contacting your local carers' organisation.
Residential care homes and nursing homes can provide short-term care for the person you look after so that you can get a break. If you can, it may be useful to visit beforehand to make sure that it can cater for the needs of the person you look after.
If social services help pay toward short term breaks in residential care, both your benefits and those of the person that you look after may be affected.
Attendance Allowance and the care component of Disability Living Allowance stop after 28 days in residential care if social services help with the costs. If two seperate stays in residential care are separated by 28 days or less, they are added together when deciding when the Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance should stop.
If possible, you may want to time stays in respite care so that the benefits of both you and the person that you look after are unaffected.
Many social services, health authorities and voluntary organisations run day centres for the care of adults with disabilities.
Centres arrange social activities, craftwork clubs or outings. Some run sheltered workshops or specialise in training and may be associated with colleges. Most can arrange transport to and from the centre.
Day-care for children might be available from similar organisations as well as the education department of your local council and from central government. These may be nurseries or playgroups, family centres or play schemes for school-age children.
Your local social services should be able to tell you about the day care providers in your area.
If you want to go on holiday, either alone or with the person you care for there are a number of things to consider.
You may need to arrange alternative care for the person you look after. If you cannot afford to arrange this care, or can afford it but find making the arrangements too difficult, you should contact you local social services. They can arrange additional care in the home, extra visits to a day-care centre, or residential care for the person that you look after whilst you are away.
If you need to find accommodation to suit the needs of the person that you look after there are a number of voluntary agencies who can give details of holiday accommodation that is suitable for disabled people. (For contact details see Finding help)
If the person you care for needs specialist medical or nursing help to allow you to take a break, you will need to arrange this help through the GP of the person you are caring for. This can include:
There is no charge for getting health care but each health authority decides what care it provides.
If you or the person you look after pay a care-worker directly, you have greater control over the kind of care provided. You may be able to get a direct payment from your social services to cover some or all of the costs.
If you decide to employ a care worker directly, you need to be aware that most care workers are self employed and you will act as their employer.
Amongst the arrangements you will have to make will be the following:
Using an agency gives you less control, but they do most of the paperwork and will arrange cover if your usual carer is not available. Details of local nursing and care agencies are in Yellow Pages and similar directories.
The UK Homecare Association the professional body for homecare providers, can tell you if they have members in your area (for contact details see Finding help).
How do I arrange a break?
Your local authority has a responsibility for arranging services that help you to take a break from caring. This is usually done through a carer's assessment . Your social services will have information on the range of providers of services which will help you to take a break, including voluntary organisations and specialist providers.
Social services can help to pay for break services (either by paying the home directly, or through direct payments or vouchers to you or the person that you look after). Voucher schemes are only operated by some local authorities, but the number is increasing. They enable you and the person you care for to choose when and where to have the break. Contact your local social services to find out if they operate such a scheme.
If the person you care for can pay for the complete cost of short term care you may decide to make your own arrangements. It is a good idea to ensure that the person has had a community care assessment even if they are paying for the care themselves. You will then be clearer about the kind of care they need and they may get help with all or some of the cost through a direct payment.
Are there any charges for breaks services?
Services arranged by social services can be charged for. Services arranged through the NHS are free.
Page Last Modified: 03/12/2008
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