Understanding Emergency Respite Care in Ascot, Camberley and Wokingham
Here's our handy guide to emergency respite care. We'll help you understand what's best for you and your loved one, both for your short-term and long-term needs.
What is Emergency Respite Care for Seniors? And How Do You Know You Need It?
Emergency respite care is a short-term solution to support older adults and their caregivers during unplanned situations. Whether it’s due to sudden illness, hospital discharge, family emergencies, or caregiver burnout.
The aim of respite care services, particularly emergency respite, is to provide a safe environment at short notice with professional attention while Mum or Dad convalesce or you take a well-earned break.
And you shouldn’t feel guilty about asking for respite. In most situations, emergency respite is sought because life has become chaotic, and you are trying desperately to juggle work, family, and Mum and Dad’s growing care needs. It’s also sometimes because their care needs have unexpectedly outgrown your experience or capacity, and in the interim, you need a helping hand.
Wherever you find yourself, you shouldn’t have to do this alone. That’s why we have designed our respite care(at Home Instead) to support you and your loved one through difficult health challenges. Our care makes all the heavy lifting feel more manageable, restoring the right balance to help you through.
What Are the Different Types of Respite Care?
Respite care services come in various forms, including:
- In-Home Care: Professional caregivers like Home Instead Ascot, Camberley, and Wokingham provide support in the comfort of your loved one’s home on a part-time or full-time basis over a tapering period.
- Residential Facilities: Temporary stays in care homes or nursing home settings for a set period.
- Day Care Centres: Daytime care that offers activities and social engagement. There are several local centres in Ascot, Camberley, and Wokingham you can try, and we recommend these specifically for carer breaks during the day, not for respite from illness.
Which would benefit your situation? Honestly, it depends entirely on your needs. From the clients we help (and published social care studies), we see that respite care in the home is far more beneficial to recovery times and a healthy return to independence. On a part-time basis, home care is also a great follow-up option for those who need a helping hand to get out and about or manage at home on their own.
Who is Emergency Respite Care Best Suited For?
Urgent respite care is ideal for the following:
- Unexpected Situations: Families managing sudden events like hospitalisation or travel.
- Individuals with Chronic Illness or Disabilities: Loved ones who require professional care during a caregiver’s absence or as symptomatic events happen.
- Family Caregivers: Those needing temporary relief to manage personal or family emergencies. As well as those who need a break to rest and recharge during the care journey.
How Quickly Can You Get A Loved One into Respite Care?
The timeline for arranging emergency respite care varies depending on the provider you choose and their availability. At Home Instead, we try to have respite in place for clients within the first 24 to 48 hours. And in most cases, we’ve been able to do that because, unlike care homes, there’s no waiting for beds; it’s just a matter of matching you with a care pro.
Need to find out more?
Who Pays for Emergency Respite Care?
The cost of emergency elderly care in the UK depends on the provider, location, and duration of care. Funding options may include:
- Private Payment: Many families cover full or partial costs out of pocket.
- Local Authority Support: If your loved one qualifies for assistance, your local council may cover some or all of the costs after a care needs assessment. Please be aware this process can be lengthy, so always keep your provider in the loop to avoid any distress.
Local authorities:
Ascot and Camberley –Surrey County Council
Wokingham –Wokingham Borough Council
- NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) or, as you may know it, ‘social care’: For individuals with complex medical needs, CHC funding may be available. You can findmore information here. However, there are often longer waiting lists for social care services, and not all expected services may be available in your area.
Charities and Organisations: Local charities likeAge UK orCarers Trust may offer additional support or advice. Then, there are charities relating to specific situations, likeMacmillan Cancer Support.
Do I Need a Referral to Apply for Respite Care?
You need a referral for most funded situations, like care homes or social care, and your GP or hospital team can make that call. In the case of private emergency respite care, as we offer here at Home Instead Ascot, Camberley and Wokingham, you just need to make a call and ask for help.
Our number is 01276 903106
During our phone call, we will help guide you through the process, giving you our recommendations and advice as needed.
What Do I Need to Take to Emergency Respite Care?
If your loved one is leaving home to take a respite position in a care home, you may need the following items:
- Referral letter: In most cases, the care home should have already received a referral notice, but in case paperwork is delayed, having your own copy to take with you can be helpful.
- Medical Information: A list of medications, allergies, and medical history.
- Personal Essentials: Clothing, toiletries, and mobility aids.
- Comfort Items: Books, photos, or familiar objects to ease the transition. Remember, even if it is temporary respite, seniors can often feel like they won’t return home. Easing their transition will help calm them.
- Care Instructions: Detailed notes about routines, preferences, and dietary needs.
If you are having emergency caregiver services come to your home, then there is no need for anything beyond what you provide in the booking call or onboarding. Here at Home Instead, that’s a conversation about medications, medical needs, and dietary and social requirements. We would also like to have contact numbers for family, GPs, and hospital consultants should we need them.
Are There Disadvantages or Downsides to Emergency Respite Care?
To the respite care itself? No. High-quality emergency respite care should help your loved one get back on their feet, providing full support to you and the wider family.
However, there can be environmental adjustments that can take a toll on those who may be incredibly independent souls or who suffer from cognitive decline, like dementia. This is where taking the client out of the home to provide respite is not always the best option. Our home care provides an added step, even in emergency respite situations, by carefully matching you with a care pro that suits your needs, preferences and health conditions. We find this approach eases transitions into respite and out of it into what comes next.
Body deconditioning may happen in care home settings, which can compound problems already experienced under hospital settings. To address this, we action and continue the physiotherapy exercises provided on discharge for maximum recovery. And if these are not provided, we can help chase them up.
Continuity of care can also be a problem where respite care is prescribed without consideration for long-term needs. For example,our client John, who suffered from dementia, would not have enjoyed the companionship he found in his respite and then live-in carer Jacquie if it had not been for our careful matching and long-term care plan. Continuity wasn’t just crucial for his physical needs to bounce back but also for his emotional needs throughout his continuing care journey.
Do consider what comes next. Even if you have social care or care homes handle respite services for you in the first instance, you can use home care to transition into for any further needs. If you need advice at this stage, just give us a call.
Local Emergency Respite Care Resources in Ascot, Camberley, and Wokingham
Several care homes in the area provide respite care services, including emergency placements. Check with local providers such as Ascot Care, Sunrise Senior Living (Ascot), Signature (Camberley) or Alexandra Grange Care Home (Wokingham) for availability.
Day Care is also possible through facilities like Wokingham Day Care Centre.
But if you are looking for in-home respite care or emergency live-in care, we would love for you to call us. We are rated“outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and have ahigh number of 5-star reviews.