Summary
Short Breaks have gone very well this year and we have delivered 35 breaks in total. We have noted that Short Breaks have changed shape in terms of the length of breaks carers are wishing to take. These have been shorter breaks than the typical 3 nights and 4 days that we have seen previously which has meant we have been carrying out more breaks. • We have delivered a wider variety of short breaks – a lot of carers have chosen to stay on the island for their short break as oppose to going to the mainland for a longer stay. Families have opted for a shorter break. • Some have opted for 1 -2 overnights to attend family events on the mainland. • Some have taken full breaks including day hours and overnights. • All the breaks have been a success and greatly appreciated as it allowed them to have some much-needed time away from their caring role.
What Crossroads Lewis has learned
The lessons we learnt were that to deliver an effective break , as much information about the service user and their 24 hr care was paramount in the general assessment. Visiting the home where the short break was to take place is valuable as a risk assessment could be carried out while in the home. Working out the rota as to how many support workers would be needed and for how long each shift should be was a benifit of visiting. The things that worked well were if the support workers already knew the family and this is often the case living on an island most people know eachother. The challenges would often be usually to do with a change in the service users behaviour or if they became ill during the break. We always have emergency numbers in the paperwork for these times. Other difficulties would be if other family members would call and we were not expecting them and this may upset the service user espicially if they suffered from dementisa The sucesses were many as 99% would be so relieved and rested to have had the break.
Impact on beneficiaries
We are very grateful for the Short Breaks fund as locally there are very few options for carer respite in the community and especially undertaken in the home of the cared for. Residential respite allows 1-2 weeks carer respite but the service is extremely busy in the local community and so Short Breaks allow for a more flexible break for the carer. The breaks allow the carer to be able to make use of resourses outside their caring role by taking part in family gatherings and making use of facilities on the Island that they would not normally be able to acess due to their caring role. We offer a questionaire form for feedbacck of the break and are always blown away by the response that is given. Carers always report that they are well rested on the return to their caring role and their loved one is happy to see them again. . We have found that offering more flexibility to carers for short breaks have meant a higher uptake of shorter breaks, fitting around the carers wishes and what also works for the person cared for. The impact of the breaks are particularly felt for thoes who have been caring for their loved ones and are not taking advantage of residential respite, therefore being able to leave their loved one in their own home while they have a break is of much comfort. The carer is happy to leave and the cared for is happy to stay in their own enviroment.