Couple face massive bill for caregiver's weekend off

All Te Puke's Ruth Curtis wants is a weekend off work.
She works 12 hours a day, seven days a week as her mother's live-in caregiver but it would cost the family up to $9880 a year for her to enjoy a standard two-day break.
It is a problem facing many Bay families who are caring for elderly parents as they have to pay a ``top-up'' fee to local rest homes if they want to have a day off.
Families such Ms Curtis and her parents, Ernst and Freeda Weidmann, are entitled to 20 free ``respite'' days a year but anything else costs extra.
Support Net, an agency contracted by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board, will pay $75.55 for Mrs Weidmann to be taken into a local rest home for 24 hours. But an extra $25 to $95 is needed, depending on the rest home.
It would cost the Weidmanns between $2600 and $9880 a year for their daughter to have the standard weekend _ something the pensioners cannot afford.
Ms Curtis describes her job as a labour of love but she is desperate for a break.
"It's physically very demanding.
"At the end of it, I'm exhausted," she said.
Tauranga currently has four fully-funded beds in two rest homes, with a fifth opening in March, to cater for those using their 20 free respite days.
The beds are booked out months in advance and Ms Curtis said her nerves had been stretched for a long time now. One day off at a time was simply not enough after working for six weeks straight.
"It's not fair when you're trying to keep couples together in their home," she said.
Mrs Weidmann required 24-hour assistance but the couple, who have been married 61 years, don't wish to be separated.
Nell Dawson, chairwoman for Bay of Plenty health care providers, said it would become a big issue in the future.
"A lot of people are having more and more difficulty in paying the top-up fee. They should be supported. They (the caregivers) are looking after them in their home which is a wonderful thing."
Caregivers became exhausted when they could not freely use respite services and Mrs Dawson suggested those with the highest needs should be fully-funded.
According to Lorraine Wilson, president of Tauranga Age Concern, the respite care service was well appreciated by those who could access it.
"The need (of the patient) is the same but sometimes the financial resource isn't available," she said.
Robert Lee, spokesman for several Western Bay of Plenty rest homes, said it was a lack of funding that put pressure on rest homes as well as patients.
"This is a reflection on the inadequacy of the funding of the government," Mr Lee said. Costs had risen over the years but funding from the Ministry of Health had not.
Helen Mason, DHB general manger of planning and funding, said Tauranga's current respite beds would be evaluated this year to find out what the demand was and if more were needed.
They currently cost the DHB $182,000 and provide 1825 days of free care for the elderly throughout the year.
"Not all the people who are allocated respite days actually use them.
"Some people prefer to use them as a back up," she said.
Mrs Mason said other days off _ known as carer support days where a top-up payment was needed _ could involve a neighbour or another family member looking after the person instead.
The subsidy would go to them, rather than a rest home. However, Ms Curtis said in her case, her mother required a very high level of care and someone with experience was needed.
In spite of her situation, Ms Curtis was not worried about what the future holds. She was happy with the path she had chosen.
"What I do for my parents, I do out of love and honour for them."