Council and democracy

Respite care

Respite care services aim to provide

• carers with a break if they are caring for someone who needs regular assistance with essential personal care and daily living tasks.
• people with a disability or long term illness with a break from caring for themselves so that they are more able to continue living at home.

One way of providing respite care is through short stays in a residential or nursing home. These can be arranged at regular intervals, known as ‘intermittent care’.

Short stays may also be arranged for a period of convalescence after a hospital stay. They may be arranged in an emergency or on a planned basis.

The rules relating to financial help for short stays are different from those relating to permanent care. Select the link called Paying for Residential Care (below) for further details.

Respite services may also be provided by holidays away from home, by day care, or by someone coming in to the home to enable a carer to go out. Select the link called Breaks for Carers (below) for further information.