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At New Haven Farm Home we are very excited to be able to expand our services to know include Short Term Accommodation or as it is more commonly known, respite care. We are very proud to have been offering this service to clients and their families for the last 4 months.

This type of service differs from our main service in that the focus point is to provide clients with a safe, happy, relaxed, fun filled environment that provides a ‘holiday’ feel experience.

For each client who uses the service, the experience is very different, as being an entirely person centred focused organisation, each stay is tailored to the individual’s preference, from the activities they partake in, to the food they consume. At New Haven Farm Home, we have been very fortunate to have some STA clients enjoy the experience with the organisation so much that they have since become permanent clients and have moved into our SIL supports.

Whilst the deliverance of a respite service focus’ on the individual client, the provision of the service is essential for the clients support network and carers. These people work tirelessly, around the clock in order to meet the support needs of the person whom they care greatly for. The carer has little to no scope to attend to their own needs, be that medical, social or whatever form it may take. It is therefore crucial that carers have an opportunity to meet their own needs so that they can continue providing ongoing support to their client. However, in order for them to be able to do so, they require the client to be able to attend a high quality service where the carer can be confident that not only all their loved ones support needs are met but that they are comfortable, content and happy with their stay. One way in which we as an organisation support the carers of our clients is to provide them with easily accessed frequent and open communication and updates throughout the clients stay so that they have the confidence and reassurance to fully utilise their time away. We are very proud to be able to provide this service to not only our clients but their families and support networks.

Often the power of words and phrases can be under-estimated or not given appropriate levels of consideration. Within the disability sector, you may often hear words or phrases of ‘care’ verses ‘support’. Whilst on first consideration, either word may elicit positive thoughts and associations and it would be right to do so as both imply consideration and assistance to others.

By true definition, the word care means the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone.

Alternatively, support means to provide assistance.

At New Haven Farm Home, we make a clear distinction and focus on the later term. The word ‘care’ is a very inactive word for the actual client or participant. It places the importance, dominance and actually empowers the person providing the care, whilst removing such from the person receiving it. Alternatively, the word ‘support’ is far more active for the client or participant and both implies and allows them to be the dominant factor in the relationship, making them the driving force and the decision maker of all interactions. Furthermore, it encompasses all areas and factors of a person’s life, not stopping at meeting a person’s needs but extending to likes, desires and goals. Whilst it is incredibly important that the client is the focus of the organisation’s vision and mission as well as their daily work, New Haven Farm Home extends this thinking and consequential action to its members of staff also, working at all times to support them in their work so that they may continue to provide optimal levels of support to our clients.