Types of Respite Care Services Available for People with Disabilities

Respite care is a service available to enhance the life quality of primary caregivers. NDIS offers various plans to help out people with disabilities. It is understandable that working continuously as a primary carer for a person with disability can be taxing and a short respite may help charge their batteries. With this objective, NDIS offers several types of respite care services that people with disability may avail depending on their needs and requirements. 

Here are some of the types of respite care available in Australia that can be useful for primary caregivers: 

• In-home Respite 

In-home support is when a caregiver comes home to help persons with disability. They assist with the daily tasks, acquire new skills or simply socialize with them. The timing varies from a few hours a day, help only on weekends or simply overnight support depending on the needs. 

• Center-based Services 

Many centers organize activities such as excursions or other recreational activities for people with disabilities. They do it with other people with disabilities so there is also a feeling of community building. NDIS may offer support so people with disabilities may participate in these activities and offer a respite to their caregivers. 

• Emergency Services  

Emergency respite services are a good solution in case the primary caregiver is unavailable suddenly for some reason. You can avail accommodation or support service providers sent to your home on an urgent basis. NDIS respite accommodation also comes in handy when something unexpected arises. 

• Residential Respite Services

Residential respite services offer short-term accommodation so that the caregivers can get a break and the persons with disability are also properly taken care of. There are three levels in the NDIS residential respite services. The first level is where the accommodation is provided for a period of seven or fourteen days every year. The second level is where the support can be offered for a period between fourteen to twenty eight days every year. The third level is where the support is offered for twenty eight days every year when the primary caregiver needs support and is experiencing behavioral issues due to constant stress. 

• Arrangement With a Host 

This is also a great option where NDIS can offer support while a person with disability lives with a host family or friend. This not only helps with the daily tasks but also offers emotional support. Using this option gives a respite to the primary caregiver and also ensures that the person with disability is taken care of nicely. 

Apart from that, there are also other disability respite care options such as recreational respite, support group-based respite, informal respite, short-term accommodation etc. that can be helpful for caregivers. Once you know about these options, you can assess what works best for you and then ask for assistance from NDIS. 

Bottom Line

The NDIS respite providers care model provides a break to primary carers and is a great way to improve their overall quality of life. Learning about these options and using them to your advantage can help you and your caregiver greatly.