What is Respite Care?
Respite Care means giving a carer a short break from the routine and pressure of their caring role. The person they care for is supported and the carer can get a break, take part in activities or simply get a rest and some time for themselves.
A break could be for just a few hours or it could be for a holiday, whilst being assured that the person you look after is being cared for.
Short breaks
If the person you care for has eligible needs, you may be able to arrange to have a short break by having a Carer’s Assessment with Adult Social Care. For full contact information please see the heading 'Needs assessment by Social Services' under Links on the right. There is also a link giving more information about Carers’ Assessments.
For more information about short breaks, please see the Short Breaks Guide listed under ‘Downloads’, which also explains about charges.
Also see the link to the national Carers Direct information ‘Breaks from caring’, which gives more details on this subject.
Other sources of information and help
There are a number of local organisations that could be worth getting in touch with for information about taking a break from your caring role. For example, Bolton Carers Support organise trips out and short courses for carers; the Asian Carers Forum brings Asian carers together, and Crossroads Care Bolton provides respite care at home. For details of these services and others please see the webpage ‘Carer support groups and organisations’ under Links on the right.