When you
think of domiciliary care it is not unreasonable that you should think of care
being provided to an individual who has care needs. It is equally reasonable for you to think of
domiciliary care as being care provided on a long term basis. Let’s look at
each of these points in turn.
Domiciliary
care is care provided in peoples’ homes. Home care companies can provide any
service that falls short of nursing care. With home care, then, there will clearly
be someone who receives care directly and benefits directly from that care.
However, there may well be several other people who benefit indirectly from the
care that is provided.
It is
not unusual that a person who is supported through domiciliary care is also
supported by various other members of his or her family and friends. In many
cases, these people may be providing substantial amounts of care. Any help
provided directly to one person indirectly helps others concerned with her care,
even if it is just a matter of freeing up a few precious minutes in the day.
Whilst
it is true that domiciliary care is very often a service that is provided on a
long term basis; this is not always the case. Domiciliary care can be short
term. One type of short term care is respite care. There is no single pattern
to respite care. What is common to any type of respite care, though, is that it
is care that benefits carers as well as those whom they care for.
We often
forget that carers need a little support themselves now and again. The 2011
census estimated that there were 6 million unpaid carers in England and Wales.
In many cases the care that is provided amounts to virtually a full time job.
What respite care can do is allow people who care for others during the
majority of the time to have time for themselves to take a break.
In some
cases this may be a break to have a holiday. Respite care can be provided for
any length of time. It can be provided while carers take a weekend away or a
two week holiday abroad. It’s often the case that carers themselves may need to
go into hospital for a short time for treatment. Respite care can be provided
for the period during which the carer is away and during any recovery period.
Respite
care can even be provided for just a few hours. A carer might need time to go
out for a day, or just part of the day and doesn’t want to leave the person he
cares for any length of time. It is comforting to know that there is someone
looking after the person he usually cares for, especially if there is a danger
of delays.
It may
simply be the case that a carer feels that he needs a break from his daily
routine once in a while. This may be just for a few hours a week, a few hours a
fortnight or a few hours a month. It is well recognised that the stress of
caring for someone can take its toll; therefore, it is difficult to calculate
just how important these breaks can be to carers: and to the people they care for.
Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910
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