When you find yourself needing long-term support from a loved one, it can feel overwhelming and stressful. Carers take on a huge responsibility and it can feel like you lose your independence and become a burden. Finding respite care in Melbourne can help make it a positive experience for both you and your carer by providing time apart, while you continue to receive quality care.
How respite care can benefit you and your carer
Respite care in Melbourne offers temporary, short-term care while your carer takes some personal time. You might enlist other family members and friends to support you while your usual carer is away or you might choose a volunteer or paid carer instead.
You can book respite care in Melbourne to cover a few hours a week or book an overnight, weekend or vacation stay. While your carer is engaging in self-care and meeting personal goals, you can break away from your regular routine, while meeting new people and engaging in new social activities.
As an added bonus, a short break might give you and your carer a fresh outlook and help you both solve any challenges you were experiencing before the break. When you find the right respite care option, it can be a rewarding experience for both you and your carer.
The Aged Care Decisions team wants to hear your story, so we can help you find the respite care option that is best for you. We offer services in finding respite care nationwide, including metro areas of Melbourne and rural Victoria. Speak to one of our specialists to see how our free placement service can make your respite care journey easier.
Types of respite care in Melbourne
Melbourne offers a few respite care options, so you’re bound to find one that suits your needs. You can involve friends and family in your short-term care arrangements or seek the help of a specialist service. If you prefer to stay in your home environment, a specialist carer can come to you. Otherwise, you can choose from plenty of services out in the community. You can choose to book respite care as needed or on a regular basis, plus you can book just a few hours or extend your temporary support to overnight, weekend or vacation care.
When considering short-term care at home or out in the community, three main care types are available in Melbourne: residential respite care, community respite care and emergency respite care.
Residential respite care Melbourne
Aged care homes offer residential respite care in Melbourne. This is a short-term stay that provides the opportunity to increase your support network and engage in new social activities. It also gives your carer a chance to recharge their batteries and focus on their own needs during your short visit. If you opt to spend your respite care period in an aged care home, you will receive the same service as permanent residents. This means that, in addition to a room, you will receive meals and laundry, plus personal care support based on your unique needs and the opportunity to participate in social activities.
This is perfect if you want to book in regular respite care, especially as you can access 63 days of subsidised care per financial year.
Community respite care
If you only need to book occasional time away, community respite care offers day care, club care and residential care options, plus in-home care. Day centres, clubs and residential homes offer stays between 9 am and 3 pm during the day, while cottage respites accommodate overnight and weekend stays with a host family or within the community. You can also book flexible respite out in the community or at home for a day or night, depending on your needs.
Emergency respite care
In the event that your carer faces an unexpected event, it’s imperative that you still receive the support you need, either at home or in the Melbourne community. Emergency respite care caters for these situations to ensure you have access to the right level of care, no matter what happens.
Our Aged Care Decisions team can help you determine which type of respite care is right for you and help you through the process. Simply provide your details in our simple form and we will be in touch to offer our free service.
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Overcoming common obstacles to respite care in Melbourne
The nature of giving and receiving care can present some challenges. As a care recipient, you may feel like you’re a burden and resent the loss of independence. Carers can become easily burnt out as they lose sight of their own needs in their effort to meet the needs of others. Respite care can ease these challenges but is also often met with resistance. The following tips aim to help you and your carer to overcome some common obstacles and make the most of the opportunity the respite care in Melbourne offers.
1. Establish new relationships
Relationships benefit from distance, as much as from interaction. By embracing the time apart, you give yourself the opportunity to meet new people and form new relationships, which can strengthen your existing relationships. You gain stimulation and social interaction outside of your daily routine and your carer can focus on their relationships outside of their caregiver role during the short break.
2. Stay connected
A regular routine that rarely changes can feel isolating at times. Choosing a respite care option that takes you out of this routine can be a breath of fresh air. You can meet new people and stay connected to the outside world through new social activities and opportunities.
3. Embrace opportunities
Your chosen respite care service in Melbourne will offer all sorts of opportunities for new experiences and interactions. The key to a positive respite care experience is embracing these opportunities and being open to building new relationships with those around you.
4. Take breaks
Everyone needs a break, no matter how they spend their days. It’s important that carers understand that it’s ok to need time for themselves. Taking a break prevents burnout and can actually improve the quality of care they are able to give, making it beneficial to both you and your carer.
5. Testing the Waters
A short-term stay in an aged care home is the perfect way to test the waters before committing to permanent residential care. Respite care offers you the chance to experience the environment and lifestyle in an aged care setting without committing long-term to out-of-home care. Once you’ve completed your stay, you can decide whether you want to transition into permanent care.
Top tips for finding the best respite care in Melbourne
Finding the best respite care in Melbourne can be time consuming. Starting with research and planning will help you identify your needs, decide the type and duration of your preferred care and narrow down the available options.
Keeping a daily tasks record will help expose areas of support and enable you and your carer to more easily share details of daily tasks to your respite carer. The following questions will help you create a plan:
- What length of time would best suit my needs, plus those of my carer?
- Do I need regular or occasional support?
- What type of environment do I prefer?
- Would I prefer to stay at home or go out into the community?
- Would I prefer one-on-one interaction or group social interaction?
- What is the budget and what type of subsidies are available?
How to easily find respite care in Melbourne?
You can take the do-it-yourself approach and research local respite providers in Melbourne or you can enlist a placement service to support you in finding the best service.
If doing it yourself, it’s important to thoroughly research your preferred options by checking out the facility and meeting the carers, reading reviews and conducting phone and in-person interviews. Your research should help you to completely understand the care and environment offered by each service.
If you would prefer to minimise the time involved in finding respite care in Melbourne, a placement service is a great option. Aged Care Decisions 100% free and is Australia’s largest placement service that helps carers find Melbourne-based respite care.
Aged care placement services help you find respite care in Melbourne
Aged care placement services work with many respite providers in Melbourne, which is why they know about vacancies early on and are fully aware of what each service offers. Their goal is to help you and your carer to find a respite care option that complements your existing arrangements.
A placement service matches your needs with current vacancies and provides you a list of the most suitable respite care options.
At Aged Care Decisions, we want your respite experience to be stressfree and rewarding, while feeling comfortable and well cared for. Our respite care placement service is straightforward, supportive and completely free. Complete this simply form and we will start looking on your behalf.
Finding the best respite offers in Melbourne
Aged Care Decisions prides itself on providing support throughout your respite care journey. We listen to your story and create a tailor-made list of the best respite offers in Melbourne, just for you. Our placement specialists are always available to answer your questions about respite care, so you can feel assured that we are only a phone call away. Call us today on 1300 775 870 or complete our simple form to get the support you need in your respite care journey.
