If you care for somebody with dementia, you need to remember to look after yourself. Sometimes this means taking a break, by getting help from respite services. Getting the most out of respite care has been designed to help you decide if and when you should use these services.
This guide is for carers of people living with dementia.
Deciding whether to use respite care is one of the hardest decisions a carer has to make. There are many resources giving you information about the care system. This is a guidebook with a difference: information for carers by carers.
Getting the most out of respite care provides insights from carers who have benefited from respite care, including:
- stories—highlighting the benefits of day centres and residential services
- case studies—helping you prepare and manage challenges that you may face
- tips—including when to use it, how to book it in and how to make the most of respite care.
Key messages from the guide are that good respite care is available, that it helps ‘recharge your batteries’ and that it allows you to do other essential activities, such as shopping and working. It is also important not to feel guilty about using respite; you need to maintain your own health and the ability to attend to life’s necessary tasks in order to keep caring for your loved one.
You can download an electronic copy of the guide below.
Other resources in this series:
A Guide for Care Workers
This booklet has been written to help you understand why it is important for you to support people with dementia make everyday decisions. There are practical examples in this booklet of how to do this. All people want to be treated in a way that is consistent with their own wishes and preferences. People want to make decisions based on information they have been given and their personal experience where possible. Being involved in decisions and making decisions is part of being a ‘person’. Everyone has the right to be acknowledged and respected as a person.
Looking After Yourself While Looking After Someone With Dementia
As a carer it is important to look after yourself. If you’re not well it is difficult for you to look after someone else. This guide has information about the meaning of wellness and many handy strategies to help you improve your wellness and increase your resilience.
Getting the most out of Respite Care
If you care for somebody with dementia, you need to remember to look after yourself. Sometimes this means taking a break, by getting help from respite services. Getting the most out of respite care has been designed to help you decide if and when you should use these services.
Transition to Residential Care
The transition to permanent residential care can be the most difficult time in your carer journey. Watch this 6 minute video to hear real advice from carers about how they dealt with both the practical and emotional aspects of transitioning from home-based to permanent residential care.
Authors: Prof. Elizabeth Beattie, Dr. Elaine Fielding, Dr Maria O'Reilly
Partners: QUT, Hammond Care Group, Alzheimer's Australia, DTSC Qld
Background:
Much of the information in this guide has been provided in a national survey by the DCRCs of more than 300 carers of people with dementia, which asked about their experiences and opinions of respite care. You can read the survey report here.
This guide also received generous input from Alzheimer’s Australia’s Consumer Dementia Research Network — a group of people living with dementia and carers of people with dementia.