Introduction
At Tidal Living, we provide respite care (including overnight respite care and respite holidays/holiday care) for family and friends who provide care to vulnerable adults, to help them take a break from providing care for their loved ones, while ensuring that their family member, or friend, continues to receive compassionate, professional care and support.
NICE quality standard 200 defines care breaks as breaks from providing care which specifically meet the carer’s need for respite, while care continues to be faciliated for the vulnerable adult the carer normally looks after and cares for. As such, NICE recommends carers’ breaks as part of high-quality care in the community; this underpins our approach to providing respite and holiday care at Tidal Living.
What is Respite Care?
In a nutshell, respite care is an arrangement where the carer who normally takes care of the vulnerable adult, for example, a family member or close friend, can take a break from looking after them, while the vulnerable adult continues to receive care, from a care worker assigned by a care agency.
Respite care aims to offer a short-term, planned break for a family or friend caregiver of the vulnerable adult, typically ranging from a few hours to several weeks. There are many forms of respite care, which include (as mentioned) overnight respite care and respite holidays, in addition to emergency respite care and befriending/sitting services.
Respite care allows you to take a break from your responsibilities of providing care for a vulnerable friend or family member, while you have peace of mind that they are in good hands and being looked after by highly trained, competent care workers who have their best interests at heart.
Types of Respite Care We Offer
At Tidal Living, we provide the following forms of respite care:
- Emergency respite care: Where vulnerable adults have more complex needs and require more intensive support, particularly in an exacerbation/crisis relating to their current health condition, or due to unforeseen circumstances a caregiver needs to take a break from their care duties, a professional caregiver can move into the adult’s home to provide emergency care for the vulnerable adult while the caregiver takes a break from their usual care duties. This can either be provided live-in (around the clock), or on an hourly, visiting basis.
- Respite holidays (holiday care): We provide holidays for both carers, as well as vulnerable adults, to take a break from everyday life, as per NHS recommendations on respite holidays. If the carer wishes to take a respite holiday, we offer holiday care for the vulnerable adult that the carer normally looks after, in order that they continue to receive the care and support they need, ensuring peace of mind for carer and cared alike.
- Overnight respite care: Where carers normally take care of a vulnerable adult, for example with a disability or long-term illness, throughout the night as well as in daytime, we provide overnight respite care to help carers minimise burnout and take a break, where our carers take care of the vulnerable adult throughout the night, being available on-call to help with emergencies and other issues which may arise during the night.
- Befriending (or sitting) services: If a carer would like to take a holiday, or other form of break, from looking after a vulnerable adult, we provide befriending (or sitting) services to provide companionship (in essence, the goal of befriending services) and, additionally, help with errands including household chores (sitting services).
