Who are Direct Respite Services?

The Central Sunshine Coast Committee on the Ageing Inc. (now called Suncare Community Services Inc.) saw a need for a 24 hour service that met the needs of Carers, who became stressed when unable to take a break. As a result the service started with volunteers, and grew as demand for flexible services that were designed to meet individual needs.

In 1994, the Crisis Respite Care programme was established in George Street, Maroochydore providing 24 hour emergency respite to those carers who found themselves unable to care for their care recipients and those who needed regular planned relief care to enable them to remain at home.

As the partnership with the Commonwealth developed a mental health component was added to the Respite Service. After participation in a National Working Group, the National Respite for Carers programme evolved. Further submissions were made through the Committee on the Ageing Inc., leading to the establishment of the first Sunshine Coast Regional Carer Respite Centre at 22 Evans Street, Maroochydore. Due to further expansion and successful tendering the overall service has increased to now include 9 offices and outposts throughout the Brisbane north and Wide Bay and Central Queensland Regions as part of the National Network that now exists. The Committee has always believed Carers were entitled to choices and the Commonwealth has funded the program ever since.

The ultimate aim of all is to preserve the right of families to care for their own at home, should they choose to do so, as long as is possible or desired. We aim to keep this objective alive.

The philosophy of The National Respite for Carers Program is:

“to advocate, coordinate and improve assistance for Carers, while making respite accessible and responsive to the Carers’ needs and the right of individuals to be self-determining, when they require ‘time out’ from their carer role”.

As part of the regional services, Direct Respite Services has this specific mission.

Our Services

What services do Direct Respite Services provide?

This program provides a mix of flexible respite care services to meet individual needs of carers and the needs of the person they care for. The target group for these direct services is carers of people who are frail aged with significant care needs, or carers of people of any age who have a physical or mental disability, terminal or long-term illness or dementia. We provide In-home respite care and support services, Residential respite services, Cottage respite, Support, Mental Health services, Information and Advocacy and Veterans Affairs Home Care services.

To contact us for further information Freecall on 1800 052 222 (except from mobiles)

The services provided include:

• In-home respite care services to assist and relieve Carers. Approximately 90 qualified and trained field staff are employed to assist Carers in the wide range of caring functions that they usually perform everyday. As well, field staff can provide support in housework, cleaning, cooking, shopping and maintenance services. For Direct Respite Services, this amounts to over 30,000 hours of assistance each year and hundreds of thousands of kilometres travelled by staff to perform the services required by carers.
• Professional, qualified staff provide support through temporary care to relieve the Carers so that they can go about their lives in a normal way or attend recreational pursuits they may not normally be able to access due to the commitments of their caring role.

The aim is to ensure the Carers health is well maintained so they can continue to perform their daily routine of caring for their family member or friend at home on an ongoing basis.

Important roles of this service include:

• The Emergency after housr call line, 1800 059 059, for Carers to phone in and particularly in an emergency should they need urgent assistance.

• Individual and small group ‘Cottage style Respite’ for Carers and/or those they care for in a supported accommodation facility at Dorney House in Sugar Road, Maroochydore.

• Support, information and advocacy, if required, managing situations, behaviours and relationships associated with the caring role and the provision of advice information and training.

Residential Respite services:

Dorney House is a supported accommodation facility where Carers or those that they care for can take a break in a pleasant household setting with trained adult support at hand. All disabilities are catered for.

Situated on Sugar Road at Maroochydore on the picturesque Sunshine Coast, the facility is named after Dr Dorney in recognition of his long-term contributions to the development of Suncoast COTA (now Suncare Community Services Inc) both as a Committee Member and as an individual.

Cottage Respite as described above is also available on Bribie Island at Boronia Cottage, Glasshouse Mountains at Coochin hills, in Noosa and in locations across Central Queensland including South Wide Bay.

All can cater for individual and group respite on a short or medium term basis. It provides an important interim accommodation and does not require an ACAT assessment.
Bookings and enquiries can be made through our 1800 059 059 number.

Support, Information and Advocacy

Where required, Carers are offered assistance with understanding and managing situations, behaviours and relationships associated with a persons need for care and/or the caring role, including advocacy and the provision of advice, information and training. This confidential service is provided by qualified staff with specific understanding of the needs of Carers and their families in difficult decision-making times.

Mental Health Specific Services

We provide support for persons experiencing a mental illness in assisting them to resume life in the community through a number of programs including on a one to one basis and/or at their place of residence.

‘Recovery’ Program – Mental Health program

The program called ‘Recovery’ provides a series of educational events that encourage participants to learn and discover the reality of recovery from mental illness. 

The ‘Recovery’ Program is not a treatment but may supplement the treatment being received by other mental health providers. ‘Recovery’ provides a number of services.

Direct Respite Services are funded to run the ‘Recovery’ Program on the Sunshine Coast in addition to supporting carer groups for those caring for persons experiencing a mental illness.

For further information on the Recovery Program Phone 1800 052 222 for newsletter and bookings.

Veterans Affairs Home Care services

Direct Respite Services is an approved Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Home Care provider for In home respite, domestic assistance and home and garden maintenance on the Sunshine Coast.          

When you ring Veterans Home Care on 1300 550 450 you can ask that we, Direct Respite Services at Maroochydore, provide the quality service that meets your needs. Be assured the services provided by Direct Respite Services are similar to those of the main DVA VHC program but are separately managed and staffed.

How to contact us

Direct Respite Services

89-91 Sugar Road, Maroochydore, Qld 4558.

            Telephone: (07) 5479 3750 or Business Hours 1800 052 222

            Fax: (07) 5479 2311

Office Hours Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm

           Emergency 24 hour call 1800 059 059

The program is able to assist in the following ways:

• Care for the person you care for while you take regular breaks, attend appointments or go shopping.
• Care for the person you care for when you are not well
• Information and advice regarding future planning;
• If you have to go to hospital and you have pets we can provide assistance
• If you are caring for someone and need to take a short break stay at Dorney House and have qualified support for your ‘someone’ at home-or visa versa

Whatever your problem is we can assist you so please contact us as we are flexible, flexible, flexible. For further information on the Veterans Home Care Program phone our office and talk to our professional, friendly staff.

Volunteers

Australia has a great tradition and reputation for volunteering - whether it be to support a small local community organisation, charity, or help stage an event. Each year, hundreds of thousands of Queensland volunteers give their time freely to support others in the true spirit of mateship. It is impossible to put a value on the enormous contribution that volunteers make to community development and wellbeing and to our organisation.

Volunteer assistance is vital for smooth, efficient running of the Suncare Community Services programs including Direct Respite Services ‘Grey Mates’.
We have volunteers who assist us in many ways - shopping, social support such as just visiting a carer at home and having a cuppa and a chat or providing a little support with getting to appointments etc.

Direct Respite Service supports a ‘visiting service’ for those who are isolated in their home or residence. The program is called GREY MATES, where volunteers, screened to ensure integrity, are carefully matched to their person who may be requiring visits in order to ensure a pleasant event will occur on a regular basis.

If you wish to be on the visit list or want to be a GREYMATE please phone 1800 052 222 and ask to speak to the Grey Mates volunteer coordinator.

See the Volunteers Page for more information about voluntary assistance to this and other programs managed by Suncare Community Services Inc. as we greatly value their support.

Administration and funding

The Direct Respite Services program is supported by funding from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing National Respite for Carers Program, State Mental Health Branch and Commonwealth Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Direct Respite Services aims to provide all services in a flexible way in direct response to a person’s individuals needs.

To contact us for further information Freecall on 1800 052 222 (except from mobiles)