EXPERT RESPITE CARE AT HOME, FOR ALL OF LIFE
For over 75 years, Prestige Nursing & Care has been trusted by its clients and their families to provide competent and compassionate respite care at home services. Our care is focused on improving health and overall well-being, and all in the place people love most – their own home.
Staying at home with respite care means that you can continue to live life your way, whilst benefiting from one-to-one care provided by a competent and compassionate carer. The goal of our one-to-one care is to improve the quality of your life and enhance your well-being.
WHAT IS RESPITE CARE?
Respite care is the term used for short-term or temporary care and support services, that can be provided in a residential setting or a person’s own home. Respite care allows a family carer to take a break from their usual caring duties to enjoy some rest.
According to Carers UK, over 6.5 million family carers are caring for a loved one throughout the UK. For many, it is their choice to provide care for a loved one before employing a professional at-home carer. However, looking after a family member who has care and support needs can be emotionally and physically demanding, so naturally, everyone will need a break at some point.
In-home respite care can allow a family carer to:
- Take a much-needed holiday
- Have relaxation time to ensure they are rested to care again
- Honour work commitments
- Maintain hobbies or social activities
- Stay with friends and family
- Attend an emergency or urgent situation
Respite care is a flexible care service that enables a family to understand how a home care service would work in practice to see if a permanent arrangement would be the right care choice.
Respite care services can be used to support you if you are living with a condition that impacts your ability to live independently and need condition care. For example, respite care for older people with conditions such as dementia or Parkinson’s.
TYPES OF RESPITE CARE
There are many types of respite care available including:
- Hourly care or visiting care for those who need extra support with the tasks of daily living or clinical care at certain times during the day. Care at home can be provided from a 60-minute visit per day to as many hours/visits throughout the day as you require. One day a week or several days depending on your care and support needs. For those with complex needs, hourly care can be provided over a 24-hour period.
- Day centres allow older people to participate in social and recreational activities in a centre-based setting for a couple of hours a day. These centres are often staffed by trained respite carers.
WHAT DOES A RESPITE CARER DO?
A respite carer will provide a range of care and support services to you in the comfort of your home, including:
- Specialist care of complex conditions, like dementia or Parkinson’s
- Expert nurse-led care
- Personal care
- Socialisation and companionships
- Domestic tasks, such as laundry, cleaning and shopping
- Meal preparation
- Rehabilitation and home from hospital
- Palliative / end-of-life care
- Overnight care
- Medications management
COMPETENT AND COMPASSIONATE RESPITE CARERS
When you choose Prestige Nursing & Care, you can be reassured that the carer that cares for you or your loved one is expertly trained to provide the support you need, to the high standards you should expect. All carers that join us complete our induction training programme, which goes above mandatory requirements.
We adopt a bespoke approach to training that ensures our carers have the knowledge, skills and aptitude to deliver high-quality home care that meets the needs of our clients. If a client is living with a complex condition, like dementia or Parkinson’s or has problems with mobility that mean they are at risk of falling frequently, we will make sure they are trained and supported to effectively provide the care they need.
CLINICAL EXCELLENCE AT PRESTIGE NURSING & CARE
Clinical excellence is at the heart of our culture and approach to service delivery at Prestige Nursing & Care. Our nurse-led home care service is monitored and supported by our experienced regional nursing teams.
Our team of qualified regional nurses are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Each holds a registered nursing qualification in at least one nursing specialism, including general adult nursing, learning and disability nursing, mental health nursing and children’s nursing. They enable the planning and delivery of safe and effective complex care to our clients.
Our nurses work in partnership with our care coordinators, respite home carers, clients and families to identify specific care needs and plan the most appropriate care provision. All whilst ensuring our carers have the skills they need to deliver high standards of nurse-led care. They also provide families with ongoing advice and continual support to ensure they feel reassured about the service we provide.
PROVIDING MUCH-NEEDED RESPITE FOR HARRY’S PARENTS
Harry is living with learning disabilities, challenging behaviour and has significant emotional needs.
WHAT CAN A RESPITE CARER FROM PRESTIGE NURSING & CARE HELP WITH?
BENEFITS OF RESPITE CARE AT HOME VS. A RESPITE STAY IN A CARE HOME
When faced with the prospect of needing long-term care and support, most people would prefer to stay in the comfort of their treasured home to receive the care they need.
There are many benefits to receiving respite care at home as opposed to temporarily moving into a care home:
- Highly-personalised, one-to-one care and support – something that is difficult to achieve in other care settings
- Familiar surroundings provide comfort for those who are living with conditions like dementia or Parkinson’s or are recovering from a stroke or receiving nursing care at home
- No rigid timetables directing your daily routines and how you live your life – at home you can live with choice and independence
- Peace of mind for families – those close to you have the reassurance that you are getting all the care and support you need in the safety of your own home
- Couples can stay together as a loving couple – if you move into a care home, you may be separated from living with your spouse or partner due to the types of accommodation available.
- Maintain what is important to you in life – staying at home enables you to continue to live with your cherished pet, have all your possessions and memories around you and keep up with friends in your local community or hobbies you enjoy
- The cost of respite care at home is very cost-effective when compared with the overall weekly fee of receiving care in other residential care settings
HIGH-QUALITY RESPITE CARE AT HOME FOR BILL AND AGNES
Bill has been caring for his wife, Agnes, in their own home. Agnes is 80 years old and bed bound following a stroke five years ago.
CARE MANAGEMENT LOCAL TO YOU
Our responsive and reliable hourly care service local to you means we can put care and support in place quickly, in many cases within 24 hours. Depending on your needs, a comprehensive assessment will be conducted by either a registered nurse or our local care expert. We can conduct the assessment at your home, in hospital or any specialist care setting, enabling a plan of care to be developed that meets all your needs.
Our approach to care planning ensures we capture all your preferences and wishes so you can live a contented life in the comfort of your own home. We take time to find the carer that would best meet your care and support needs, making sure they are closely aligned with how you wish to live your life.
Once care is in place, our local teams made up of care and clinical experts provide you, your family and our carer with an abundance of ongoing support. This gives you peace of mind that you or your loved one is receiving the very best home care.
FINDING THE RIGHT RESPITE CARE PROVIDER
When you are arranging respite care at home and have decided that in-home respite care is what you need, it is prudent to research which provider will best meet your needs. It is worth noting that there are differences between a respite home care provider, who is registered and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and an introduction agency who are not.This means that the quality of the care they provide you will not be monitored for quality assurance.
Quality assurance through regulated service provision
Prestige Nursing & Care is not an agency. Unlike a home care agency, we provide a fully regulated home care service, which means our clients, their families and our professional partners can be assured that the care and support we provide are of the very highest quality.
Our service is inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England and the Scottish Care Inspectorate (SCI) in Scotland. We are proud that 96% of our inspected services have been rated as providing a ‘Good’ service, with 4% rated ‘Outstanding’. Our services in Scotland have been awarded a five-star rating.
Our accredited service for complex care meets local and national quality standards and ensures a consistent approach to the care we provide. This provides peace of mind and reassurance that our service is of the highest quality.
Responsive local teams with nationwide coverage
We provide respite care and support in over 30 locations in the heart of communities across England and Scotland. The fully managed service we provide is highly responsive and our experts local to you can put care packages in place quickly. We work in collaboration with local healthcare professionals, multidisciplinary teams, therapeutic care providers and other community support services to ensure our clients get the best out of life, for all of life.
Many professional bodies in the care sector will provide information on companies that can provide respite care near you, including the Home Care Association.
COST OF RESPITE CARE
The cost of respite care depends on the level of care and support you require. The overall cost is determined by the number of visits and frequency of visits to you at home. Our experts will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your needs at your home, or in hospital if you are awaiting discharge, to truly understand what you need and therefore how much hourly care will cost.
FUNDING AND FINANCING HOURLY CARE AT HOME
You may be entitled to either healthcare funding, social care funding or Government funding to contribute to the cost of care at home. If you are faced with having to finance your own home care (known as self-funding care), there are initiatives available to you. These include care fees annuities or equity release schemes that could provide the funds you need for your care and support.
FUNDING AND FINANCING RESPITE CARE AT HOME
Other options for funding respite care at home include:
Grants for respite care
If you are unable to finance respite care at home yourself, charity networks can provide funding for respite care at home. These grants are offered through the charity Carers Trust. Turn2us is a free online service where you can find information about accessing these grants or use Grants for individuals which is a subscription-based service that allows you to search for funders and grants.
Benefits for self-funders
If you have to self-fund respite care at home, you may still be entitled to benefits like Attendance Allowance.
Respite care and Carer’s Allowance
Some people caring for a loved one worry about how respite care may affect their benefits, in particular Carer’s Allowance. If you are receiving Carer’s Allowance you can continue to receive this for up to four weeks in any six-month period if you have a break from caring.