Respite Care

Respite Care is considered a pioneering institution in Greece although such centres have been successfully operating in the rest of the EU countries as an indispensable service in the field of special education. Respite Care is considered a pioneering institution in Greece although such centres have been successfully operating in the rest of the EU countries as an indispensable service in the field of special education.Such persons are enabled to live life away from their homes and to take part in everyday social activities.

This service fills a great gap, since, up until now, there were no such centres where a client and his/her family could:
Accomplish his/her social and therapeutic training that will help towards his/her social integration and autonomy.
The family can trust their child in an hour of need (e.g. parents becoming ill and temporarily unable to look after their child, an out of town commitment etc.)
The centre will prepare the person for autonomous or semiautonomous living.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Aiming at the improvement of quality of life of the client and his/her family, Zoodohos Pigi Respite Care have set the following objectives:

Family support
Social skills training and self development of client.
Gradual emancipation from his/her family.
Preparation towards lifelong autonomous or semiautonomous living in a familiar and family-structured environment.

OPERATION
A committee sets up small groups of 3-4 each, comprised of clients who have been accepted into the Respite Care programme and have similar interests.
Stay at the centre is periodical (each group spends a week).
There is always one spare bed in case of an emergency stay.

FACILITIES
The centre is housed in a rented detached spacious apartment, situated in the centre of Heraklion.
The clients have easy access to all amenities in the city, such as cinemas, concerts, restaurants, cafes etc.

STAFF
Our staff is continuously trained for the demands of this service by means of seminars held by specialized trainers from the U.K and also field practice abroad. Day schedule includes 2 trainers (sometimes 3, depending on the client group) and a centre manager, out of a total of 6 members of staff. Supervision is carried out in shifts with one member of staff awake through the night.

DAY-TO-DAY SCHEDULE
During his/her stay at the centre, a client attends his/her classes at the day centre or the school during the day. Afternoon activities include horse-riding, swimming, cinema, theatre or any other activity the client prefers (walks, shopping, cafes etc.).