$13 million for carers’ respite

The Australian Government is providing an extra $13 million over two years to increase carers’ access to respite.

Forty-six National Respite Development Fund (NRDF) organisations will receive funding to meet service delivery costs in providing further support and respite options for carers of people with a mental illness or intellectual disability.

The additional funding, to increase access to respite, recognises the need for carers and those they care for to have a short break, whether this means staying overnight in a respite service, a few hours enjoying recreational activities or linking in to support groups.

Respite can also include activities for families and friends who also provide care as well as in home care for care recipients.

Access to respite services which are tailored to meet the different needs of carers are essential to prevent social isolation.

The nature of caring for people with mental illness is often misunderstood because of the episodic nature of the illness. Carers of people with mental illness have diverse and changing needs ranging from respite, counselling, peer support and education.

In the last financial year, the Government’s Mental Health Respite Program provided around 415,000 hours of respite to more than 8,600 carers.

This additional funding will provide a further 260,000 hours of respite services helping more than 5,000 carers a year.

Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (Australian Social Trends, March 2009), underlines the importance of the Government’s ongoing commitment to improving services for people with a mental illness and their carers. The data revealed that one in five Australians had a mental disorder in 2007 and around half of all Australians have a disorder at some stages in their lives.

In February, I also announced that the Australian Government would double the reach of Personal Helpers and Mentors (PHaMs) program, expanding the number of sites from 76 to 155, to deliver more services to people with a severe mental illness.

A further 39 non-government organisations have been selected to deliver the program in the additional 79 sites at a cost of almost $100 million.