Respite dementia care near me | Options, costs and how to arrange

Respite care is care on a short-term basis, often used for a break for either the person receiving care or an unpaid/family carer.

Most care providers offer respite care as a service, whether you choose a care home or home care.

What is respite dementia care in a care home?

Respite care in a care home is when you go for a short-term stay. Commonly misheard as ‘restbite care’, these stays usually last a couple of weeks.

Respite dementia care is respite care for somebody living with dementia. This would need to be in a care home where staff have the training and experience to provide dementia care.

You might choose respite care because:

• You’ve been in hospital or have been unwell and need support while you recover.
• You usually have support from a family member or friend, but they are unable to provide that support for a short time.
• You’re considering moving into a care home and would like to trial living there before you commit to becoming a permanent resident.

Benefits of respite dementia care in a care home

• Carers are available at all times, rather than coming for scheduled visits. You will have a call bell in your room.
• A programme of activities and entertainment from which you can pick and choose what you’d like to join in with.
• The opportunity to meet new people and make friends, or simply the reassurance of having lots of people around.
• Potentially more accessibility if you need to use a wheelchair temporarily.

Respite dementia care at home

Respite dementia care at home is when a care professional, or team of care professionals, provide support to you in your own home for a short period of time.

Benefits of respite dementia care at home

• The familiarity and comfort of your own home and routines.
• A quieter, stiller space than a care home, which you may prefer.
• If you have been in hospital, you may find it easier to ease back to normal life in your own home.

Urgent dementia care

If you or a loved one has medical needs that need attention as soon as possible, call your GP, 111 or 999.

You may need to stay in hospital or be provided care by your local Urgent Communicty Response service. This is not respite care but is a temporary support service delivered by a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals in your own home.

If you don’t have urgent medical needs but need to arrange dementia respite care quickly, contact local care providers or your local authority.

There is more information about finding immediate care here.

Day care centres

Adult Day Care is when a person spends a few hours at a care home, day care centre or community hub to take part in a day care programme. This can offer respite to unpaid carers and be extremely beneficial for the attendees.

Adult Day Care offers entertainment, activities and social interaction. There are plenty of groups and programmes specifically for people living with dementia.

More information on Adult Day Care.

Shared Lives

Shared Lives is a service through which you go to stay with a care professional in their home. This can be on a respite or permanent basis.

As part of Shared Lives, you become part of your carer’s family unit. They provide your carer and support while hosting you, along with food and accommodation.

Find out more about Shared Lives.

Dementia respite holidays

A dementia respite holiday is when you go on holiday with a company or charity that is specially set up to provide care for people while on holiday. You will go on holiday with a group of other people with care needs, and a team of carers. These are often volunteers who have been trained and vetted; they often have a background in care or nursing additionally.

Some providers include Revitalise and Jumbulance.

How much does respite dementia care cost?

Respite dementia care tends to cost more than residential dementia care, particularly if you also require nursing.

Average prices for residential care (if you are self-funding) are:

• Residential care – £1,298 per week
• Residential dementia care – £1,343 per week
• Nursing dementia care – £1,564 per week

Home care costs on average £26 – £38 per hour.

For a respite stay, you can expect around a 10-15% increase on these figures.

Day centres and day care in a care home can cost anything from £30 to over £100 per day. The price usually includes activities and entertainment, at least one meal and any support you may require such as help with going to the toilet or eating and drinking.

How can I pay for respite dementia care?

How you pay for dementia respite care depends on your circumstances and funds.

You can fund your respite care through:

• Self-funding
• Direct Payments
• NHS Continuing Healthcare
• As the result of a Carer’s Assessment
• Charity grants

Local Authorities will pay for emergency respite care if you are assed as needing it through a care needs assessment and/or a Carer’s Assessment.

Find out more about how to fund respite care.

How can I find respite dementia care near me?

Find respite dementia care in a care home

Use the carehome.co.uk search feature to find care homes near you. Under ‘Search options’ you can narrow the search down to ‘Short Term / Respite Care’ or ‘Dementia / Alzheimer’s’.

Most care homes offer respite care so you may want to focus on finding a home that meets yours or your loved one’s dementia care needs.

Find respite dementia care at home

You can find short-term home care near you using the homecare.co.uk search feature. Providers will be happy to discuss your situation and whether they can offer respite dementia care that meets your needs.

Find Adult Day Care for people living with dementia

England, Wales and Northern Ireland – Alzheimer’s Society.

Scotland – Alzheimer Scotland.