Respite Care

SUPPORTING FAMILIES OF DISABLED INDIVIDUALS

What is Respite?

Respite is a periodic, short-term break to relieve a family of the responsibility of daily care of a family member with a physical and/or developmental disability.

Participants of In-Home Respite

• The family of an individual who has been diagnosed with a developmental disability. The individual must be under the age of 18 years and be residing in the family home.
• The family of an individual who has been diagnosed with an on-going, chronic medical condition. The individual must be under the age of 18 years and must be residing in the family home.
• Respite service is available to families residing in the City of Dryden or the surrounding unorganized areas.

This service is provided to families residing in the Kenora and Rainy River Districts, who, without planned respite support, may be at risk of breakdown and/or the child would require a long-term residential placement.

To be eligible for services, the individual must be residing in the family home. Services are also available for families of children and youth up to the age of eighteen years where the individual has an on-going medical condition.

How Many Hours of Respite is Available?

The number of hours of Respite a family receives depends on their needs, the availability of respite through other services, and the amount of funding available for this service. Some families prefer to have a set number of hours each week while others prefer to use weekends or overnight respite.

Who Employs the Respite Worker?

The parent employs the worker. The family chooses a worker and trains the individual to meet the specific needs of their family member. On a quarterly basis, FIREFLY negotiates with the family on the number of hours of respite service they can use. The parent is reimbursed for these hours based on invoices submitted to FIREFLY.

Is There a Fee for Respite?

There is a $2.50 per hour parental contribution for each hour of service used. The family will be charged a maximum of $37.50 per day for extended respite. If financial circumstances prevent the family from being able to contribute the full amount of $2.50 per hour, the fee may be reduced, or in some situations, waived.

Out of Home Respite

This program provides funding directly to parents of children with multiple special needs (physical and/or developmental) to assist them in hiring individuals to provide respite services. This service is available to families with children under the age of eighteen who reside in the family home.

Contact

To learn more about the options available to you, contact FIREFLY toll free today at 1-800-465-7203. For location information, visit our Contact Us page.