Are you a stressed-out caregiver, juggling a full-time job, family and caring for a loved one?

Very often, caregivers overlook their physical, mental and emotional needs. Caregiving can be a long journey, so it’s crucial for you to take short breaks to avoid burnout. This is where respite care comes in.
 

What is Respite Care and Where to Find it?

Respite Care provides short-term professional care options for your loved one so that you can take a short break or when you need temporary alternative care plans. Respite care options can be as short as a few hours at a senior day centre, or as long as a month’s stay at a nursing home. It gives caregivers like you a break to relax and decompress. Beyond that, your loved one may also welcome the temporary change in routine.

More importantly, taking good care of yourself will help you take better care for your elderly loved ones.

If you hold a full-time job and need help with your loved one during the day, opt for senior day care centres. Some of these centres offer respite care on weekdays and weekends. Besides engaging the seniors physically and mentally, the centres also take care of their meals and medication needs.

If your helper goes on home leave or if you need to be away for business or vacation, with no one else who can help care for your loved one, you can consider respite care at a nursing home. This caregiving solution is also ideal if your loved one is frail and needs help in most daily living activities such as feeding, dressing, and toileting. Seniors will receive care with their medical needs, including wound dressing, stoma management and more. A stay here is for a minimum of seven days, and up to 30 days in a year.
 

Planning Ahead for Respite Care with Go Respite

It pays to plan ahead when caring for your loved one. You never know when you may need respite care at short notice. Being prepared allows you to take control of the care situation and avoid disruption to your activities and your loved one's care needs. The new pilot programme – Go Respite, helps you to plan ahead of time.

Go Respite is a pre-enrolment process where caregivers can identify and pre-enrol with their preferred senior care centre or nursing home. By completing the necessary pre-admission applications in advance, it shortens the time needed to gain admission when you need to activate respite care.

Here are the steps to pre-enrol:

1. Determine your ideal respite care option: discuss with your loved one and family, taking into consideration their preferred location and care period.
2. Choose a respite care option and provider: go through the list of options, making sure to pick one that suits your needs. You may wish to visit a service provider to view their facilities and services before choosing.
3. Complete the Pre-Enrolment form and submit via:
   • Email: gorespite@aic.sg
   • Post: Agency for Integrated Care
     Attention: Home and Community Care Division
     7 Maxwell Road, #04-01, MND Complex Annex B, Singapore 069111
   • Walk-in: visit your nearest AIC Link branch
4. Apply for Household Means Testing: if your loved one is a Singaporean or Permanent Resident with a household monthly per capita income of $2,600 and below, he or she may be eligible for subsidies. Find out more about means testing here.

After submitting the forms, you will receive an acknowledgement letter from the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). You can then contact your chosen care provider to start the assessment process.

Pre-enrolment of this pilot programme is valid for two years, after which you will need to update your status. If you need to activate respite care within the two years, all you need to do is contact your provider immediately.