Going on holidays while your child is in respite - get organised!

Are you tempted to try and get away while your child is at respite? Have you thought about going Interstate or overseas?  Are you a bit nervous about what would happen in an emergency? Don be, if you are organised and prepare in advance it is doable and takes most of the stress away.

Planning Tips:

1/  Plan early and make sure you have a respite provider you know and book them in.  Check on their specific requirements for if you are travelling whilst they care for your child..

2/  Organise an emergency contact for your respite provider, most will require this in case 

your gets sick or has an accident in their care.  This person needs to know your child well (especially medically), know they are the contact and be willing to take your child into their care in an emergency.
3/  Ensure both the respite provider and emergency contact have the most up to date list of the following:

• Name, date of birth and hospital reference number
• List of all the doctors, therapists, schools and organisations involved in your child’s care and their location
• Current height and weight (date completed)
• Include current medications and dosage (include vitamins, probitoics)
• Allergies and what happens if exposed
• Diagnosis, list of issues, including things that are monitored, that might become an issue
• How they go under a General Aesthetic
• Include instructions about who they contact and for what circumstances eg Mic-key button comes out, seizures etc

4/  Have a back-up plan in case you are delayed upon your return. Organise someone to step in or see if the provider can have your child for longer or your emergency contact can stand in.
5/  Let your child's hospital, GP etc know you are going away and who you have left as your emergency contact.
6/  Write and sign a letter authorising the emergency contact to make decisions regarding your child on your behalf, include a photocopy of their medicare card and healthcare cards

7/  Do up child's daily schedule for your emergency contact (respite should already have one), timings of medicine, meals and other relevant information - just in case they have to stand in.

8/  Leave a list of your itinerary and contact details along the way (just in case they can not get your mobile).

9/  Have an emergency return plan, nothing firm just have it in your mind how you would return if you really needed to.  If you do the above it reduces the chance but I am a firm believer in having a plan b.

10/ Lastly enjoy your trip.