Respite

It is the policy of the organisation (in accordance with the Principles of The Aged Care Act 1997) that residents will be allocated ‘Respite’ care at Longridge if their needs and care can be safely accommodated within the ‘Ageing In Place’ environment.

If a resident’s needs are assessed as outside the scope of facilities and care available the resident & their family and/or advocate will be negotiated with, and assistance & guidance offered to find alternate suitable care placement.

All residents seeking Respite care must have prior approval for ‘Respite’ care via a current ACAT.  The ACAT must reflect the resident’s CURRENT care needs and should be reviewed if their needs have changed since the last assessment.  A copy of the current ACAT is to be provided to Longridge at the time of booking the Respite stay.

Respite is booked via the Clinical Nurse Manager (CNM) and a planned period of accommodation or flexible length of stay negotiated between the CNM, resident and/or their advocate. A daily fee is charged at a rate of 85% of the single aged pension rate. Arrangements for payment of fees are to be settled on the day of discharge.

If the resident has a Dept of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) pension, family are required to contact DVA to seek approval for Respite care – the allocation of paid Respite care by DVA is at the discretion of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to be paid for by the Department. THIS MUST BE APPROVED BY DVA PRIOR TO ENTRY.

There are a number of ‘Respite’ resident placements in the hostel. The Respite rooms offer single room with en-suite accommodation – although are smaller in dimension than most permanent rooms in the complex.

All meals are provided and 24 hour supportive care provided – just as for permanent care residents.  Longridge supplies the bed, linen, armchair, TV and simple furnishings in each of these rooms.

ALL respite residents are asked to supply their own pillows for their bed.

If families wish the respite resident to be able to make outward calls, a private mobile phone should be supplied.