Short Break Stories

Tagsa Uibhist Doigheag Respite Care Home

A story by Tagsa Uibhist Doigheag Respite Care Home

Tagsa Uibhist provides residential respite on a flexible basis depending on family carers requirements and dates for respite to be provided. if residential respite is not suitable or a room is not available we will try to find community support staff to provide respite at home. Doigheag respite care home is a small 2 bedroom care home specifically for respite care only.

What Tagsa Uibhist Doigheag Respite Care Home did

Tagsa have provided support for 19 people for respite support in our care home. We have in total provided 176 days respite = 2112 day time hours. 176 nights = 2112 night time hours. Total monies spent was £17,792 - service user contribution £2261

10 people living with dementia in thier own homes, 4 family carers accessing respite for the 1st time, 4 elderly people with visual and hearing impairment, next door neighbours and family relatives had a break and felt the person they cared for had enjoyed their 'wee holiday'. 1 person with Multiple Scerlosis - carer had 1 week respite at home, 1 person with COPD - family carer had 1 week respite at home, 1 person with learning disability and dementia - family carer away to wedding on mainland. 1 person with some health issues mainly in respite to reassure family carer when they were on mainland, 1 person with circulatory problems in lower limbs, - family carer away to mainland 1st holiday in 2 years.

The respite service is advertised monthly in local newspaper, 12 family carers were supported with the Shared Care Scotland fund. Some carers took much needed respite breaks at home, some went to weddings, some went on holiday abroad, some went to mainland holidays to see other family, one carer had never had a break from caring for her mother and this was the 1st time herself and her husband got away together. One family had crisis respite support as their mum was at 'end of life' in her dementia illness and they felt unable to cope with her at home, but our small respite home was like a home from home for her during her final days and they felt really glad in a way that they did not need to take their Mum into hospital.

Mrs A has alzhiemers dementia and has been diagnosed for a number of years. Mrs A refused to access respite previously and family were not able to persuade her to go. After one visit to see our residentail respite home she agreed to come for one week. Mrs A now comes for respite regularly throughout the year.
this gives her carers a break and are able to carry on providing Mrs A with care and support.

Mrs A family all live on mainland are cannot come to visit very often once or twice a year. they feel the respite has provided them with reassurance that they known they are doing the best for their mother and she is more content being at home than being in a care home full time.

Mr D's Wife was able to get away to see friends and family on mainland for the 1st time in 2 years. Mr D has never accessed respite services before and saw our advert in local paper and phoned to book a weeks respite to give his wife a break and for himself a change of scene.

Mr D really enjoyed his week and his wife got away to Glasgow for a bit of shopping and visiting relatives. Mr D has requested the respite service on two other occasions and we provided a care assistant to provide support at home while his wife was away again on mainland. Mr D was very happy with both services provided the residential respite service and the home support. being flexible with our service is what we strive to achieve and it is what the fund is there for.
MB is a lady with dementia and mobility problems. Her family had used other local authority care homes, but MB did not like them and refused to go. Family contacted Tagsa to find out if they could come to our care home and MB came for a 2 week period. MB's family were very happy with the support provided and it was one to one care like MB gets at home in a quite place with not a lot of other people around her.

Without this respite family would not have been able to keep the care in place for any length of time as people do need a break from caring responsibilities.
MB is no longer able to travel from her home to our care home and we provide respite support at home for her. this is with co-ordination of family carer, live in care staff.

What Tagsa Uibhist Doigheag Respite Care Home has learned

Tagsa Uibhist Doigheag Respite Care Home was struggling to start up the service without some external funding from Shared Care Scotland. Once we started advertising and letting Health and Social Care known we had this funding then more people were referred to us and accessed a respite service. many of the relatives family carers looked after were not willing to go to other care homes to access respite, carers and people they care for have much more choice and control of what time they like to go to bed and get up. they have more choice for what they like to eat.

If they feel able to go out they can arrange transport to go out for the day with relatives friends. Mainly word of mouth works well here and when other people have enjoyed their stay they will inform others looking to use the respite service of how happy they were.
Top tips Tagsa Uibhist Doigheag Respite Care Home's top tips for an organisation that wants to run a similar project
Tip 1:
be more flexible to service request
Tip 2:
give people options if available on choice of respite
Tip 3:
provide an open house for people to come in to visit

"Thoroughly enjoyed the total relaxation and the time spent away from home. Did me a power of good - I am now a Pampered person! - Thank you"

Service User

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