My Time
My Time is our respite care service providing carers who are looking after a loved one with some time for themselves, secure in the knowledge that their loved one is being looked after by trained and experienced staff. Our service aims to be assessable, flexible and convenient. It is separate from our respite and short stay services provided to Social Services and our respite care services for more than 48 hours.
My Time includes all care, meals as agreed depending on the length of stay, refreshments, activities (where arranged for residents) and accommodation where appropriate. Bathing and laundry are not provided unless an urgent need arises.
My Time can care for:
- older frail people over 60 years of age
- older people with dementia over 60 years of age
- at Sunbury Lodge, Woolwich we are also able to care for older people over 60 years of age with mental ill-health.
We may be able to help others not within these categories. Please speak to our local manager who will be pleased to advise you further.
The period of stays for respite care are:
- Hourly 7am onwards up to 6 hours
- Early Bird 7am 12 mid-day
- Day 9 am 4 pm
- Afternoon 12 mid-day 7 pm
- Twilight 7 pm 11 pm
- Night Stay 12 mid-day 12 mid-day
People cared for in My Time are known as our Guests. Normally, we help those who are already known to us but we will look to help anyone who needs the service. Any help that we can give is subject to our having the necessary resources, capacity and skills to do so.
Each Guest will have a named member of staff responsible for supervising their care.
We are currently offering this service at the following care homes:
- Court Regis
- Homeleigh
- Lennox Wood
- Sunbury Lodge
Applications can be made to the manager of the homes above or your local Avante Care and Support Care Home, who will be able to decide if we can help. Application forms are available from any Avante Care and Support Care Home, office or service or by selecting the link below.
Download MyTime Application
Form
Mytime is limited by the capacity we have available and we want to be fair to all who apply to us for help. Normally, only one application for help can be made at a time and the following limits on usage are also often applied to:
- Hourly Visit one care session per week (1 hour to 6 hours) or
- Early Bird/Day/Afternoon/Twilight Visit one care session per fortnight or
- Night Stay - one care session in any four week period.
Once we have received an application, and have decided we may be able to help, our Home Manager (or another senior member of our home staff) will contact you and agree a Guest visit. During this visit, we will get to know you and your loved one and be able to compile all the information we need and make a final decision on whether we can help.
It is essential that we are provided with full and complete information on a Guests health and care needs on each and every occasion that respite care is provided. To ensure that we have all of the information, and that we understand it, before each period of respite care both the carer and a senior member of our home staff will discuss, sign and date the Guest Profile to ensure that this is so.
Any information which you may have from other agencies - e.g. doctors, care manager, homecare providers - will be helpful in our assessment. It is particularly important that we are informed of all prescribed medication and that this information is kept up to date.
This assessment is very important to ensure that we have all the necessary skills, resources and information to be able to effectively care for our Guest and that their care needs will not be detrimental to our residents. When completed we will have compiled and discussed with you our Guest Profile and also had the opportunity to discuss our Agreement and all other details concerning Mytime. A decision can then be made on whether and when we can help.
Our service is provided free of charge. However should you wish to make a donation towards our work this will be very gratefully received. Our costs in caring for people are some £5 per hour. If the Guest is not collected by the time agreed within the Agreement the period of stay then we do have to reserve the right to implement a charge for any additional hours of care or other costs and this will be detailed in the Agreement.
