What to expect from a respite break

If you’re considering respite care for a friend, relative, or yourself, you may be wondering what day-to-day life during a respite stay entails.

Here we take a look at some of the most important aspects of a respite stay at an Anchor care home, and explore how our homes ensure every visitor gets the most from their individual respite stay with us.

We are currently following government guidance on coronavirus to keep new and existing residents safe. This includes guidance around the day of move in, personal items and settling into the home. A dedicated care assistant will support new residents to live in their room for the first two weeks, and arrange a detailed plan of activities for them. After this, we’ll introduce them to the rest of the home so they get to know all of our friendly team and their fellow residents. Find out more about how we help you settle into your new home here.

What is daily life like during a respite stay?

The experience of respite care is always unique, as each one is suited to the individual person’s lifestyle, personality and needs.

To begin with, we work hard to get to know the person who is coming to stay with us. We strive to gain a full sense of their hobbies and interests and learn about how they like to go about their day. With this picture to hand, we’ll then be able to provide our high-quality care and support in a manner best suited to their preferences, and help them make the most of their time within the rich and stimulating community of an Anchor care home.

Respite stays can provide an opportunity to boost a person’s sense of wellbeing. With a wealth of activities always available, and regular visits from hairdressers and medical professionals, such as chiropodists, a respite break can enable a person to interact with others in a range of different ways, from being pampered and having fun, to simply being able to discuss their concerns and ailments with professionals.  

At the same time, there is no obligation to completely change your daily routine. We understand and respect how important privacy and choice are, people who like time to themselves can continue to enjoy this, knowing that help is always at hand if needed.

What kind of activities are on offer during a respite break in an Anchor care home?

Being interested in what is going on around you and the opportunity to take part in meaningful activities are an essential part of life.

The teams in all our homes are dedicated to offering a diverse range of resident-led activities. All activities are available for both short term visitors and permanent residents to enjoy equally and participation is always completely optional.

The choice of activities available in each home is varied to suit our residents’ preferences: if people would like to do something that’s not planned, then we’re always happy to make changes or introduce new things.

We also organise bigger events where staff, residents, friends, family and the local community can get together and join in the fun. These can range from fairs and charity fundraising events to lessons and competitions.

For a glimpse of other examples of these events, check out our blog and community events pages.

What catering arrangements are available?

Our approach to catering recognises the importance of the mealtime experience in our daily lives and the benefits of providing people with the food they love. In all our homes the menu is tailored to the culinary pallets of the residents and every day there is an array of nutritious and tasty snacks and drinks available.

Residents can select from a variety of hot and cold meals at lunch and dinner times, and they’re able to begin the day with a continental or cooked breakfast and a range of cereals and toast. At afternoon tea home-baked scones, cakes, pastries and biscuits are always popular and supper is an option if someone feels peckish later on.

The work of our chefs has been noted nationally on several occasions: in 2016, we took home the National Association of Care Caterers’ award for Care Cook of the Year. Find out more about our awards here.

As with all other aspects of our care, we’ll always accommodate any food preferences a resident may have, be they dietary, religious, medical or otherwise.

Mealtimes and food are something to look forward to and enjoy during a respite break with Anchor.

How sociable is the experience of a respite stay?

To enrich the experience of residents and visitors, Anchor care homes balance relaxing personal spaces with vibrant communal areas. Staying with us, people can fully enjoy the independence that professional care enables and readily access each home’s buoyant social life.

Every room is designed to be warm and homely, with a range of practical design features to make life easier, such as our 24-hour call system, presented discreetly. You can expect comfortable, self-contained bedrooms, most with en-suite facilities and all featuring television points for digital and satellite TV as well as telephone points and communal wifi access so that loved ones are never too far away. Regardless of the length of stay, we encourage everyone to personalise their rooms with objects dear to them: these could be photographs of family, ornaments, mementos, or a favourite chair. It’s important to make the room a space that’s home from home and why our care homes all enjoy a pet friendly policy.

Communal areas can be found both indoors and out: residents can relax in the fresh air of our accessible sensory gardens, or catch up with friends and a pot of tea in the lounge. Many Anchor care homes also include other facilities such as a library, hair salon, shop or café which all add to the range of spaces you can enjoy with family and friends.

Every Anchor home provides a readily available social life, something that people can struggle to access when living independently or receiving home care. We encourage everyone who enjoys a respite stay with us to continue to pop by the home from time to time after their stay has ended: Anchor homes are places for making friends, and we’re always delighted when we see those friendships endure.