subject: respite ideas for Special Needs [print this page] Caring for someone can be a full-time jobCaring for someone can be a full-time job. Like any job, you sometimes need to take a break. Respite care provided by learning disability homes, Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) care homes or special needs homes support primary care-givers to take a break from the responsibility of caring for somebody else.
Why is Respite Care important?
People with PMLD, learning disabilities or special needs are unique individuals. As a group of people, they share:
* Common concerns
* Distinctive needs
* Barriers to being included
* A fight for their equal rights
Where the primary care-giver is in the family, this set of demands also affects the support they can give and their interactions with wider society. This can have unintended negative consequences:
* Going too long without a proper break, may make the primary care-giver ill, anxious or depressed
* If the primary care-giver faces problems, so will the person they are caring for
Care-givers may feel guilty or apprehensive about taking a break from the person they are looking after. It is important to remember that without a proper break, a care-givers ability to provide meaningful support is affected. For example, going days without uninterrupted sleep can severely affect a care-giver's ability to cope.
* Learning disability homes, PMLD care homes or special needs homes are created to provide respite care to high and regulated standards. These experts know that in caring for people with a learning disability home, PMLD or special needs, they have a duty to ensure their comfort, safety and security, health and well being.
* Respite care in a learning disability home, PMLD care homes or special needs homes can foster a better understanding of new care techniques and approaches, which benefits the recipient of care and the primary care-giver
* Perhaps most importantly, respite care enables families to stay together and enjoy each other's company. With the support of reliable, good quality respite care, primary care-givers can enjoy their families and other interactions which sustain a positive family life for everyone including people with a learning disability, PMLD or special needs.
Respite care is any sort of help and support that enables a person to take a break from the responsibility of caring for somebody else.
In the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability in February 2005, David Cameron MP described respite care as "just the most vital thing". SOURCE http://www.pmldnetwork.org/lobbying/appg_minutes_020205.pdf
