Respite care is any sort of help and support that enables a person to take a break from the responsibility of caring for somebody else.
Caring for someone can be a full-time job and, like any job, you sometimes need to take a break.
You may feel guilty or apprehensive about taking a break from the person you are looking after. However, it is important to remember that if you go too long without taking a proper break, you may become ill, anxious or depressed. This can make life more difficult for you and the person you are caring for.
Types of respite care
There are a number of different types of respite care, which are described below.
- Residential respite care is where the person being cared for goes away to live and be looked after by someone else for a while.
- Emergency respite care is where care is provided when someone is cannot fulfil their caring responsibilities due to unforeseen circumstances, such as illness.
- Domiciliary care is where support is provided in the home to help out with some of the carer’s responsibilities for a few hours.
- Day centre care is where the person being cared for spends time at a centre to allow the carer to have a few spare hours of their own.
See Care options for more detailed information and advice about the different types of respite care that are available.
What is a carer?
When local authorities and other government organisations talk about carers they do not mean someone who is paid to provide care as part of a contract of employment, such as a care worker or care staff.
Carers are usually people who look after a relative or a friend who needs support because of:
- their age
- a physical disability
- a learning disability
- a health condition
- a mental health condition
- an addiction, such as drugs or alcohol
For example, a carer could be a parent with a child who needs additional help due to a long-term health condition.
Any person of any age can become a carer.
Young carers
A young carer is a child or a young adult who is under 18 years old. A young carer carries out tasks and has high levels of responsibilities for another person. This level of responsibility would usually be taken by an adult.
