Respite Care in Hertfordshire

Respite Care in Hertfordshire

Respite care break for carer in Hertfordshire

Being a carer can sometimes be exhausting and it’s important to recognise when you need a break. Organising some respite care for your relative can provide some well-deserved time-off for yourself. You can read more about the importance of looking after yourself as a carer in our guide on Care for the Carer.

There are a number of options for respite care for your relative in Hertfordshire. This page will go through your options and how to organise the care, including at care homes, day care centres and in your relative’s own home.

If you are finding yourself worn-out and in need of some support, you may also be interested in reading more about Carer Support Groups in Hertfordshire, who can support you in your caring role.

Respite Care Homes in Hertfordshire

Respite care home in Hertfordshire

Many of Hertfordshire’s care homes and nursing homes offer short term respite care. This can be for as little as a day, or as long as for a few weeks, depending on your needs. It can also be a means of your relative getting to see and experience different care homes, which may help in choosing a potential care home for the future.

When selecting a respite care home for your relative to visit, there are a few key considerations to take into account. The first thing to check is that the home can meet any of your relative’s specific care needs, such as dementia or limited mobility. Other things to check include the length of stay that they can accommodate and the CQC rating of the home.

Below you can find two directories listing care and nursing homes in Hertfordshire that offer respite care. In addition to the CQC ratings, these directories also have their own ratings systems that you should consult when making your decision.

Hertfordshire Day Care Centres

Day care centres are another great option for for short term respite in Hertfordshire. They tend to be able to host your relative for the morning and afternoon, giving you time to get on with whatever you need to do, while your relative has a fun and sociable day including a cooked lunch! Some day care centres are open every day of the week, and some operate only on a couple of days a week, which you may prefer as a way of organising respite on a regular basis.

You can find out more about day care centres offering respite in Hertfordshire from our guide to Day Care Centres in Hertfordshire.

Respite Homecare in Hertfordshire

Respite care within your relative's home in Hertfordshire

Respite care at your relative’s home in Hertfordshire is another option for when you need a break from your caring role. Some older people prefer the comfort of their own home and it removes the hassle of travelling to and from the centre. With respite care at home, a trained carer will come to your relative’s home and provide care for them there while you are away. Again, this can be for as long or little as you want and your options include a carer popping in a few times a day, or providing round-the-clock live-in care for several days or weeks.

Below, we have listed some organisations in Hertfordshire that can provide you with respite care in your relative’s home.

Elder

Not only do Elder supply longer term live-in care but they can also help to provide short-term respite live-in care, matching you to a carer in as little as 48 hours. The best thing? You only pay for the care you need so that a fully vetted carer can move in for a short time and provide the care and routine that you normally do.

elder home care listing

Helping Hands Homecare

Helping Hands Homecare offer two types of respite homecare: live-in care and visiting homecare.

Live-in care is round-the-clock and they can cater to all of your relative’s care needs, freeing you up to visit and spend time with your relative at times that suit you.

Visiting home care is a much more flexible respite service. Visits can be as short as 30 minutes or for as long as several overnight stays, depending on how much respite you require. Their flexible live-in care services are available throughout Hertfordshire, including St. Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Watford and the surrounding areas.

Caremark

Caremark offer respite homecare for people throughout Hertfordshire on a flexible basis. They will discuss your relative’s normal routine with you, so that they can stick as closely to it as possible.ย  Sometimes their carers can even work alongside you for a day so that your elderly relative can get used to them and gain a better understanding of your routines.

Herts Homecare

Herts Homecare is a local, family-run care provider who can offer respite care for people living in Hertfordshire. They can provide care that is flexible to your relative’s needs; from a drop-in respite service, to nutritional support or round-the-clock care.

Crossroads Hertfordshire

Crossroads Hertfordshire offer a Regular Short Respite Carers Break service. Their support workers can come to your relative’s home and take over from your caring duties, giving you time for a break. Crossroads will help to develop a personal plan for your relative before you leave. Their Short Breaks are for a minimum of 2 hours per visit and Hertfordshire County Council will, in some cases, fund your short respite break as the result of a Carers’ Assessment.

Crossroads also offer a more complete Homecare Service, through which they can offer overnight respite care and assist with a range of duties including bathing, meal preparation, continence management and taking your relative on outings.

There are a wealth of other home care options available across the county that you can look through on Age Space’s Home Care Directory for Hertfordshire. We also have directories details the options in more specific cities in the county and neighbouring areas.

Emergency Respite Care in Hertfordshire

You can’t always plan or predict when you will need respite care – maybe in the middle of the night, or when you can’t get to your relative. Emergency respite care exists for exactly these situations – trained care staff who can come and provide care support for your relative at short notice.

Hertfordshire County Council will help you to come up with a contingency plan for such scenarios as an outcome of your Carers’ Assessment.

Helping Hands Home Care

Helping Hands can organise urgent respite care for you, in the case of emergency or crisis. Their emergency helpers can come and provide support for as little or as long as you require, and as ever will ensure the support is tailored to your relative’s needs.