Respite

Carer Support and Respite Centre Inc, as the auspicing body for the South and East Metropolitan Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre, receives funding from the Australian Government through the National Respite for Carers Program and from the SA Government via the Home and Community Care Program. The funding

enables us to provide a range of respite services to Carers across the southern and eastern Metropolitan regions of Adelaide.

A Carer is a family member or friend who provides significant levels of care and support, without receiving payment for services, to an adult or child who has a long term disability, mental illness, chronic condition or is frail/aged. The Carer does not need to be living with the person they care for (the care recipient).

• Respite comes in many forms and enables Carers to have a break from their caring role and responsibilities, resulting in the improved quality of life for the Carer.

• This temporary relief may enable Carers to continue in their caring role longer, thereby preventing the premature or inappropriate admission of the care recipient to permanent residential care.

All Carers need to take a break at times, not only to do practical tasks, but as part of a maintenance plan designed to enable the Carer where possible, to balance the needs of the person for whom they care with the necessity of maintaining their own emotional and physical health.

Examples of Short Term Respite:

Purely Social
- having a coffee or a meal with a friend
- pursuing a personal interest, existing or new
- maintaining relationships with family

Keeping Appointments
- Doctors appointments
- Banking, time to do errangs and shopping.

Respite can be provided both informally and formally:

INFORMAL respite is the type of support that Carers would normally organise themselves and would usually be provided by friends, family members or neighbours. This informal respite can occur "in home" or the Caree may be taken by friends or family to an activity outside of the home to give the Carer time to do other things. Respite does not have to be a formal or organized process involving service providers. Most often, an chiefly desirable where possible, informal respite is time off for the Carer organized by family and/or a network of friends and neighbours who wish to support both the Carer and continue to involve the Caree in family and community life.

FORMAL respite is organised by people or organisations whose purpose it is to provide services. The respite can be either 'in home', 'residential' in an Aged Care facility or in a day activity program. CS&RC currently has access to all of these forms of respite for Carers. Other respite providers are Councils, some programs via Domicilary Care, DVA, Options Coordination, etc.

Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres are