Bisdee House day respite centre - national demonstration site

Our brand new service opened January 2008

Bisdee is a large day respite centre located in the same grounds as Glenview Home but is stand-alone and accessed by carers and care recipients quite separately from the home. As it is so large (600+ sq m), Bisdee includes several lounge rooms, activity rooms, a library/reading room, internet café, kitchen, large assist bathroom/pamper room, large assist/disability access toilets, a secure dementia specific wing with separate activity areas and a secure outdoor area that includes safe walkways, patios and gardens. There are also some individual bedrooms and ensuites for day rests or sleeps and a generous and easy access car park.

The centre provides both short and long stay day respite for aged care recipients to enable their primary carers to take a break, go to work or socialise.

Bisdee opens Monday to Saturday from 8.00am to 8.00pm with extensions of these hours readily negotiated, particularly in the event of an emergency or unplanned activity of a carer. All meals are provided as are all centre-based activities within the daily fee of $8 per four-hour session or $20 per day, up to a capped maximum of $50 per week.

For those who want it a bus service is provided to pick up and drop off clients to and from the centre at a daily cost of $5 per round trip.

Fee waivers, either full or partial, are available based on clear procedures used to support the independence and quality of life of carers.

Glenview understands the needs of carers and the desires of people to remain living in their own homes for all of their lives. For this desire to be realised by many people, adequate community based support, both in-home and respite, must be provided to carers and care recipients in meaningful amounts of time and quality and be affordable. Respite has for many years been the ‘poor cousin’ of aged care with limited places available; inadequate levels of funding to meet the needs of working carers and frail aged carers and too limited hours to provide genuine and flexible respite as a genuine alternative to residential aged care.

Bisdee House provides an opportunity to demonstrate just how good day respite can be and Glenview is of the view that the building, opening hours, range of activities and support services can be tested beyond previous boundaries throughout this four year pilot project.

With this in mind, Bisdee will almost certainly evolve over the four years of the pilot to meet the needs of carers and stretch the boundaries of what a dedicated respite service can deliver.

The Bisdee House demonstration site:

  • supports working carers to continue in employment
  • supports frail aged carers to care for their life partners
  • allows families the time they need away from the pressures and fatigue of 24/7 caring responsibilities
  • provides stimulating and enjoyable respite which does not feel like ‘respite’ to care recipients but is a valued and meaningful part of their lives
  • reduces the inappropriate and/or early admission to residential aged care facilities of those people who want to remain living at home.

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