Short breaks and respite
Everyone needs a bit of time to themselves every now and then. But for family carers, finding somewhere that has the specialist skills needed to support your learning disabled relative is easier said than done.
That’s why we’ve set up specific respite services in some of our locations. And even in locations where this hasn’t yet been possible, we can also normally accommodate ‘short breaks’. This could mean we support your relative to stay at one of our local services for the weekend on a mini-break. Or we could provide domiciliary (in-home) care for a person in their home while you take a short break. We can also support people to go on a longer holiday.
Short breaks can work well for all involved. They often give your relative the opportunity to make new friends, try new activities or learn new skills. We work with other local organisations to offer as many different opportunities as possible. And we tailor what’s on offer to what each person wants to do.
Activities might include cooking, swimming, learning a musical instrument or playing on a games console. But the whole point of taking a break is to enjoy yourself. If your relative would prefer to spend some time relaxing in front of the TV, watching a movie, or popping out for a drink – that’s exactly what we’ll support them to do!
Contact your local Hft service now and let us know what you need. We pride ourselves on our flexibility, so we can normally find a way to accommodate you and your relative.
Support at home
For family carers who need to go away with work, want to visit family, or simply have some time away to themselves, support at home may be the answer. We’re able to offer respite care in your home for a set period of time.
Day opportunities
We also support learning disabled people to get out and about in the community for a few hours. This can allow them to build new skills, make friends and try new activities, while giving family members a break.
Our dedicated day opportunity services offer activities for learning disabled people. What’s on offer differs between areas, but could include anything from dancing to water-skiing, jewellery making to photography. It’s worth noting that ‘day opportunities’ might take place during the day, in the evening or at the weekend.
Holidays
We can often support learning disabled people to go on holiday with family or friends. This might be a few days camping in the UK, a week or two abroad, or a special family visit. We even supported one person to visit her brother in Australia!
We also work with local organisations providing supported holidays to help you plan the right holiday for you and have a great time.
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Find details of short break and respite care services in your area – and how to get in touch with your local team – on our Location pages.
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Take a look through our Holiday Information Guide for helpful hints, tips, and guidance on how you can plan and enjoy an accessible holiday.