What is respite care?

Respite care ...

• is a short stay in a care home that provides ‘respite’ from caring responsibilities for a carer,
• provides a period of rehabilitation after a fall or a period in hospital to get you back on your feet
• provides a period of rehabilitation after an operation

How does respite care work?

A care home will rarely keep ‘respite beds’ available for short term residents. So, you are reliant upon a room being available if you want a respite stay.

The usual length of stay is 2 - 4 weeks. Some care homes will offer shorter stays but there is a lot of paperwork and preparation required to ensure the stay is as comfortable as possible and meets all of your needs.

How do I find respite care near me?

Most care homes will offer respite care if they have an available room. You can search for respite care on Autumna or by using this simple shortlisting service.

Ensure you are looking for respite care in an appropriate care home. Care homes provide residential, nursing and dementia care. It’s important that you find a care home that offers the correct level of support for you.

Respite care: 'Try before you buy'

Respite care is a very good way to 'try before you buy' when it comes to care homes. Suggesting that an older family member might need full time residential care can often be a very difficult conversation to have and rarely receives a positive response.

However, suggesting a two week respite stay is not always met with the same opposition. And when your loved one visits the home on a temporary basis, they often quickly see the benefits and their initial concerns wane.

People tend not to like the idea of a care home but the reality can be very different. Many older people soon find that regular meals and friendly company see their quality of life dramatically improve.

Let the team at Autumna help you find respite care

Autumna's database covers every registered care provider in the UK - that's over 26,000 in total - and of the 12,000 or so care homes, most will offer respite care.

You can search for them on our website, but if you'd prefer some help from our expert team, why not complete this short form and we will send you a shortlist of homes that can meet your needs.

Alternatively, if you'd like to speak to a friendly person who knows what they're talking about, then call our advice line on 01892 335 330 - it's open 7 days a week.