Our respite care gives carers a much-needed break

Caring for a loved one can be rewarding, but as every carer knows, it can be exhausting. Respite care at KinCare is designed to give you time out – while knowing that your loved one is in capable, caring hands.

As a carer to a family member or friend, you give the priceless gift of your time, love and energy to help them thrive.

But caring often leaves people with little time for their own essential tasks and life events. In fact, you may find it often feels impossible to get through some long-overdue life admin and restore balance to your life.

In the lead-up to the busy holiday period, you may feel you’re juggling even more than usual – with weekly jobs like grocery shopping, as well special events such as a child’s school play or important catch-ups with other family members you haven’t seen for a long time.

Signs you need a break

When you became a carer, you likely already had countless other responsibilities including work, study, parenting, and other family commitments.

Caring for someone who is sick or vulnerable can bring to the mix grief, poor physical and emotional health, isolation and financial strain.

Signs these challenges may be pushing you to breaking point can include loneliness, losing interest in your normal activities and feeling sad, irritable and hopeless. You may experience changes in your weight and appetite, poor sleep and constant illness. These are classic carer burnout symptoms that shouldn’t be ignored.

When it’s hard to ask for help

A common barrier to seeking support is that even when you are overwhelmed and exhausted, you can feel very anxious or guilty about leaving your loved one in someone else’s care. It’s normal to feel that no one can care for your loved one as well as you do.

Perhaps you don’t feel like you have time to use respite care or believe it won’t make a difference to your wellbeing.

It can be detrimental to wait until you reach rock bottom to reach out for help, as it can take a long time to recover from serious burnout. Remember, caring is a very demanding job. Like any worker, you need to put time aside for all the other things in your life.

In fact, taking a break for activities like coffee with a friend or exercise can also bring great benefits not just to you, but also to your loved one. When you feel happy, relaxed, and empowered, you’ll be a better carer.

How respite works

Respite care gives you much-needed time to balance your life and caring roles, which can often easily spin out balance.

Whether you’re unwell, have errands to run, work to do, face an emergency, or need a holiday, respite care can give you the time and space you need.

What makes in-home respite care so different to nursing home respite is that while you’re having your break, your loved one is cared for in the comfort of their own home. It can be such a relief to know they can keep to their normal routine, in the place they know and feel secure in.

The KinCare approach

If you need support to free up time in your day for other life commitments during the holiday season, don’t hesitate to talk to KinCare about our flexible respite services. We’re here to help care for your loved one in their home, so that you can use that time to make the most of the time you take away from caring.

The beauty of the KinCare approach is that our respite services are very flexible – they can be booked at short notice or as a regular weekly appointment so that you can run your errands. You can arrange flexible respite with us for a special event or even overnight.

Getting to know your routines is so important to us. Fully trained KinCare team members will be matched to your loved one’s needs and personality.

Services can be booked seven days a week for two hours or more – and for up to 24 hours at a time.

Taking the time out that you need isn’t just restricted to respite care. At KinCare, our wide range of services can be accessed any time during the week. If you need support with a few hours of domestic assistance or personal care to assist with getting your loved one ready for their day, we can tailor a solution to meet both your needs with ongoing support from our team.

Funding your respite

If you care for someone over the age of 65 years, you may be able to access funding to help pay for respite care through a Home Care Package or the Commonwealth Home Support Program.

The subsidy does not always fund the full cost of the service, so each person may pay a small contribution. Your KinCare Customer Care Manager will discuss the cost at your initial consultation, before services start. Special consideration is available to people enduring financial difficulty.

We are here to help

If you’re a carer, call us before you begin to feel burnt out, resentful or overwhelmed. Make the most of respite care and take the breaks you need – and be a better carer for your loved one.

Call us on 1300 702 319

Contact us online.