Respite Care: What Is It and How to Access It in an Emergency

If you are the carer for an ageing parent or spouse, keeping them as safe and healthy as possible is something you take very seriously. Without a doubt, it’s a big responsibility.

Family carers often take on the role a little at a time. It may start with simple projects around the house and grow to include more clinical tasks, such as managing their medication, or redressing wounds.

While you might become comfortable providing the care your loved one needs, what would happen in the event of an emergency? Is there a friend or another family member who could easily step in?

Or what if you want to enjoy a little time away to take a holiday with your children? You may wonder what steps you can take now to ensure your ageing family member can quickly access care if it’s needed.

One solution to consider is respite home care. It’s a service that brings professional carers right to an older person’s home.

Understanding Respite Home Care

Being a family carer can be a juggling act that consumes a lot of time and heartfelt energy. To keep you from experiencing a health crisis of your own, it’s generally a good idea for you, as a carer to take regular breaks.

If there isn’t someone in your family who can temporarily fill your shoes, consider using short-term respite care.

The in-home care agency you hire can perform the same duties you do, whether it’s just for an afternoon or for a longer period.

Using this kind of service on a regular basis, can help the carers to get to know your loved one for even more personalised care.

You can also schedule respite care in advance for events like an interstate wedding or a planned surgery of your own.

Even if you don’t begin to use respite care right away, putting together an emergency plan will make it easier to get help when you need it. to get started.

Depending on the family member’s age and income, help may be available to pay for their respite care. To learn more and apply for an assessment, visit My Aged Care’s Community Home Support Programme page.

Access Respite Care During an Emergency

Though it’s best to create an emergency backup plan before you need it, that’s not always possible. Despite wanting to do so, busy carers may not have time to explore options before a crisis occurs. Through Carer Gateway, family members can access help when the primary carer unexpectedly becomes unavailable.

To request emergency respite care, call Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737 at any time. Your local service provider will explain your options and help you organise emergency respite care.

Respite Care from Mayflower

Mayflower is proud to offer several services for families. One is in-home care, where the carer comes to the older adult’s home. The other is a short-term stay in an aged care setting.

Call us today on 1300 522 273 for more information!