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Clients and volunteers participate in regular activities |
Great Lakes Leisure & Respite Options
Last modified: March 4, 2009 - 10:35 AM
The purpose of Great Lakes Leisure and Respite Options is to provide occasional, short-term, planned respite for families who care for a person with a disability.
The service recognises that the purpose of respite care is to support carers and to help people with a disability to remain living in their own home and in their own community.
We aim to help people with a disability to participate in community life and develop friendships through a wide range of community-based activities.
Volunteers are essential to the service and help in a number of ways. Some volunteers provide respite in their own home or in the home of the person with a disability. Other volunteers provide friendship and support at regular social events, occasional weekend events and longer excursions away from home. Volunteers are offered regular training to help them provide these activities.
A family's access to the service depends on the availability of a suitable volunteer carer and their priority for service. Priority is based on a person's relative need in relation to other families seeking respite.
Who can access the service?You are eligible to participate in this service if you have a physical, intellectual or sensory disability and require a significant level of support in order to participate in the community life of the Great Lakes region.
What types of service are offered?
- "Host family" is a respite option where the person with a disability stays with a volunteer host for regular and planned overnight respite.
- "One to one link" is a social support option where the person with a disability links with a volunteer who will help them access community activities at regular intervals.
- Monthly group activities provide a setting for people to meet socially for fun and fellowship.
- Information and referral to other services can be offered if this service is unable to meet your support needs.
What about volunteers?Volunteer carers are vital to the operation of the service. Members of the community with time and energy are encouraged to join as volunteers. The service provides initial and ongoing training to support volunteers in their caring role. The service screens potential volunteers for their suitability for working with people with a disability. Care is taken to match families with a suitable volunteer.
Will there be a cost?The level of service and the contribution towards the cost of the service will be discussed in detail at the time of assessment. However people who are assessed as being in need of a service are eligible to receive the service, regardless of their capacity to pay. In these circumstances a service fee can be negotiated.
What are your rights and responsibilities?Great Lakes Leisure and Respite Options believes in:
- the right of people to be treated with dignity and respect
- the right to privacy and confidentiality
- the right to have access to services on a non-discriminatory basis
- the right of people to be informed
- the right of people to make choices in their lives from a range of alternatives
- the right to have an advocate of their choice
- the right to a coordinated and reliable service
- the right to make a complaint.
We also believe that as a participant in this HACC Service you have a general responsibility for the outcomes of your decisions and a particular responsibility to respect staff and other clients of the service.
Contact details
Great Lakes Leisure & Respite Options
02 6555 6243 (ph)
02 6555 6005 (fax)
laro@greatlakes.nsw.gov.au
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