Short Break Stories

Argyll and Bute Carers Network

A story by Argyll and Bute Carers Network

We provided grants directly to carers who live in Argyll and Bute. The funds were split between all 4 carers centres and 3 crossroads services within the are. Helensburgh got an extra share to provide respite service as they have no Crossroads.

What Argyll and Bute Carers Network did

Carers would contact Carers centres or Crossroads and staff would assist carers to complete the forms, this enabled staff to spend time and support the carers to make sure that they got the break they needed. We also assisted with respite to make sure the break was not spoiled by worrying about the cared for person.

Our decision panels were held in each locality to ensure that decisions could be made regularly and by people who may know the carers. We advertised in a variety of ways:- newsletter, press, leaflets, posters, partner agencies and word of mouth. It has enabled us to work more closely with our partners thus increasing communication and working relationships.

Carer took her husband who is terminally ill with cancer, back home to Poland for two weeks to be with their families. Her Mother-in-law was able to provide the care to the cared-for and the carer was able to relax and spend quality time with her family and friends.

The carer was able to step away from the stresses and strains of caring for her husband and looking after their two young children, both under 5 years. She was able to rekindle relations with family and friends and recharge her batteries to return to UK to face her husband's illness/treatment. She said "I was able to relax and got help from family to look after my husband and children. I got some time off my duties and stresses." The award paid for their flights to and from Poland

72 hours of respite provision allowed a single parent and her teenage daughter who rarely spent time together, went to London sight – seeing.

Caring for sibling with autism takes up all free time and energy at home. Mum constantly worried that she had little time for her daughter and both were stressed and tired. Daughter, although loving her siblings felt, resentment at how little time was for her. Child with autism had become very clingy to Mum and time with father, no longer in the home, would help with bonding
We support an elderly lady with care needs who lives with her daughter. The daughter works full time and the elderly lady manages okay at home during the day. But she cannot get out and relies on her daughter for all her social engagements.

The daughter has her own health problems and spends most of her free time taking the mother shopping, hairdresser, visits to GP etc, she is now at the point of exhaustion. We have helped mother with the tasks that daughter would usually do and given the daughter a well deserved break.
C came to the centre just to talk to someone. She came back on a number of arranged appointments to discuss her situation with caring for her mother 95 and her daughter who has learning disabilities. She was offered some therapies to help her relax, some counselling to assist her to cope with her caring responsibilities.

We organised a short respite break that was hindered by the people she cared for as they did not want to do without her. She stated that everyone commented on how well she looked when she came back from her short break. She loved it and is planning to have another break next year.

What Argyll and Bute Carers Network has learned

The funding has allowed our charity to become more engaged with some carers who are living in remote and rural areas. Word of mouth has meant, carers are coming to us to ask about the funding. It has helped build relationship and partnership working with other agencies.
Top tips Argyll and Bute Carers Network's top tips for an organisation that wants to run a similar project
Tip 1:
Support carers to fill in the form, they will feel looked after and they will realise how important it is to look after themselves to enable them to continue caring. It also helps sto build the relationship with staff and carers.
Tip 2:
Have a local panel to make decisions so that these can be done quickly as some of these breaks have to be organised quickly. This maybe because the cared for person is ill and they want to get away together or it could be that the carers is so exhausted that they need respite before a crisis happens.
Tip 3:
To be mindful of those carers who struggle financially and build in a process whereby the carer can have the money to purchase their break upfront.