At Crossroads Care Kent, we know that the one thing Carers need the most, in terms of support for themselves, is a break. Caring is demanding - some people care for over 100 hours a week, sometimes for many years. However much you love someone, it can be exhausting and a bit of time off can really help you feel you are still “you”.
A one-off break isn’t enough though. If you’ve got to arrange replacement care for the person you care for, and they take a while to get used to a new person or a new routine, to be honest it just isn’t worth it. By the time you get back from your break, you will be exhausted from having organised it, and you will likely have to spend more time sorting out what’s happened whilst you’re away.
Sometimes it’s suggested that a Carer could have a block of breaks - say a few hours a week for a few weeks. Again, you have the challenge of arranging replacement care on a short-term basis, and even if you can do this, what happens then? Your need for a break hasn’t changed. You’ll just be left with a memory of time off which was very welcome, but you can’t get any more.
We believe that Carers breaks need to be regular. Carers often depend on breaks to be able to carry on. Just a few hours a week can make the difference between being able to carry on caring and becoming completely exhausted and overwhelmed. Many Carers don’t care in one-off, short-term blocks, so why should their breaks be one-off or short term?
We depend on Carers to look after members of our community with long term illnesses or disabilities. Without them, care would need to be provided at much greater cost. So let’s support our Carers - give them the regular breaks they need.