Can be a holiday for the elderly with lots of fun & for their give carers that well earned break and relief from a constant commitment for a few hours ,days and weeks.
There is no definition of respite care anywhere within social security legislation.
In effect, respite care is covered by provisions which govern temporary absences from the home.
A temporary absence is defined as one unlikely to exceed 52 weeks or, in exceptional cases, unlikely to substantially exceed 52 weeks, where a person intends to return home and has not let or sub-let the home in the meantime.
This section also covers a person who goes into care on a trial basis,
(Just for a short trial period in order to see if a particular residential care or nursing home suits her/his needs).
One of the most valued facility for the elderly and their carers is Respite Care.
Day Care is a form of respite for carers,a break from caring for just a few hours gives a carer a break from the constant commitment of caring for an elderly loved one or relative.
Respite residential care where your loved one stay for a short overnight,for a few days or even longer to enable a carer to go away on holiday can be made available if social services agree.
Trying to find out how days of Respite Care you can get for your loved one or relative is very difficult and seems to be interpreted differently by each authority liable for most of the cost.
Usually the person going into respite care for a short period pays a sum of around £13 per night paid direct to the Care Home,the rest is borne by the local authority.
It is very important that confirmation of the exact length of time allowed beforehand rather have complications later.
All other social security benefits are normally unaffected by temporary periods spent in respite care.
A carer can continue to receive CA while the person being cared for is in respite care providing that AA and DLA care component remains in payment.
Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance
AA and DLA continue to be paid for up to 28 days spent in respite care whether in trust or independent sector care home accommodation. Care home is not defined in the regulations and is not linked to the legal definition of other settings.
However, if a person is in trust or independent accommodation and paying the cost without financial assistance from means-tested benefits or social services funding. Attendance (AA or DLA) care
component can continue to be paid beyond 28 days.
The options are a number of varied options of respite care for the elderly in Blackpool and in the Fylde Coast area
with separate stays in respite care or in hospital which are less than 28 days apart are added together when calculating how long a person has been in care.
Regulations set out that day of admission to and discharge from care are not treated as days in care.