Taking breaks from caring (respite care)
Find out about day support, overnight, or short break relief care options to help you take a break from looking after someone.
Ways to take a break
As an unpaid carer, having time away from caring is important for your wellbeing and ensures you can continue providing the best care possible.
There are several different ways you can take a break from caring, including:
- arranging for the person you care for to visit a local day centre, where they can try new things and be looked after by trained staff
- a care worker staying with the person you look after for a few hours so you can go out
- getting some overnight care support so you can rest
- using a local care home for short break (also known as respite care)
You may be able to get financial support to help you pay for these breaks.
Arranging your own breaks
You can arrange for short term care by speaking to some of our local partners.
Day centres
There are several day centres in Kingston that can help with day support.
- Staywell have 2 day centres that offer activities, lunches, hairdressing and foot health services
- Milaap’s multicultural day centre offers activities, exercise classes and lunch clubs
- Geneva Road Services offer a programme of support for adults with any physical disability, learning disability or autism
Find a professional carer
You can pay for professional support from private care agencies so you can take a break from caring.
You can:
- find a list of local care agencies and care homes on our community directory Connected Kingston
- check the rating of care providers on Care Quality Commission
Get advice from Kingston Carers’ Network
For advice on choosing a care agency to give you a break, speak to Kingston Carers’ Network (KCN). We work closely with them to provide support services to carers.
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Help to pay for relief care
You might be able to get financial support to help pay for a carer to allow you to take a break.
If you qualify, the types of financial help you can get are:
- relief care, letting you hire a care worker from an agency for up to 72 hours each year
- a discretionary payment, a one-off payment that you can use to support you in your caring role
Discretionary payments are not means tested, but are based on how much your caring responsibilities are impacting your wellbeing.
Who can get funding for relief care
You must be:
- an unpair carer living in Kingston
- over 18 years old
- caring for someone in Kingston who cannot be left safely alone due to illness, disability, frailty, dementia, or other health conditions
- significantly impacted by your caring responsibilities, meaning you can show that caring for someone affects your wellbeing and makes it difficult for you to find time for yourself
Check if you qualify with a carer’s assessment
Taking a carer’s assessment with Kingston Carers’ Network will help you find out about the best tailored support you can get, and whether you qualify for help paying for relief care.
Find out more about carer’s assessments
Find out about support from social care
If the person you look after meets certain criteria, they may be able to get help towards the cost of a carer coming in to look after them or visits to a day centre.
Answer some questions to find out if they qualify for care paid for or partly paid for by us.
If they qualify, we’ll recommend they have a care needs assessment. You’ll be able to request one and provide your details at the end of the checker.