Collaboration is key in quality respite care

Yvonne Richardson, Operations Director at Renaissance Care

 

Following the pandemic, many people opted to keep their loved ones at home and provide care from within the family but a lack of temporary relief for the primary caregiver has resulted in burnout, causing concern over their own health and wellbeing, as well as their ability to provide care longer term.

For those who care for family members, respite care is not a luxury but a necessity. According to Carers Scotland, over 700,000 people in Scotland provide unpaid care, and more than a quarter of these carers are providing care for over 50 hours a week.

Yvonne Richardson, Operations Director

Scotland’s population is ageing, with an increasing number of individuals requiring long-term care. The number of people living with dementia in Scotland is projected to rise dramatically over the coming years, with estimates indicating that 1 in 3 people over 65 will have some form of dementia by 2050. Furthermore, as the need for care continues to grow, so too does the responsibility placed on family members, many of whom already face challenges such as financial strain, emotional exhaustion and physical fatigue.

In rural areas, where services are often limited or hard to reach, the situation is even more alarming.

For those who care for family members, respite care is not a luxury but a necessity. According to Carers Scotland, over 700,000 people in Scotland provide unpaid care, and more than a quarter of these carers are providing care for over 50 hours a week. 

Respite care provides invaluable support to both the caregiver and the person being cared for. For carers, it offers the chance to rest, recuperate, and attend to their own health and social needs, which ultimately leads to better outcomes in their caregiving role. For the individuals receiving care, it offers the opportunity to engage in different environments or with different caregivers, often leading to enhanced social interaction and stimulation, which is especially important for those living with dementia or other cognitive conditions.

  Caregivers are frequently isolated, with little respite or support from formal services, leading to burnout and, ultimately, negative impacts on both the caregiver and the individual being cared for. 

Yet there is a lack of services readily available for carers to access in Scotland. Many providers opt not to offer the service or do not actively promote that the service is available. With the same amount of administrative time taken and a short window of time to settle a resident in, often providers focus only on residents who will stay longer term. 

There is an appetite within the sector to provide this invaluable service, but we need to take a step back – collectively – to review how we can efficiently provide respite care through collaboration and integration. 
Policymakers must prioritise the long-term sustainability of respite care programmes by ensuring they are adequately funded, and that access is streamlined for those who need them most. We can draw on successful models from other regions, ensuring that respite care is not just a stopgap measure but a fully integrated part of the care system. 

As Scotland faces the challenges of an ageing population and an increased demand for care services, the need for accessible, high-quality respite care has never been more urgent. By investing in and expanding respite care services, we can ensure that caregivers are supported, families are strengthened, and the most vulnerable members of our society receive the care they deserve.

 

 

For more information on Renaissance Cares respite services and locations, please visit our respite care page.