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Illinois Respite Coalition

What is the Illinois Respite Coalition?

Our Mission:

• The IRC is also dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of “Lifespan Respite” and promoting education and training for families and providers of respite services
• The Illinois Respite Coalition was founded in 1998 as part of a grassroots organization led by caregivers and providers.
• We are dedicated to providing support and advocacy to individuals across the age and disability spectrum in Illinois

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Phone: 866-455-7377 ext. 101 Email: ilrespitecoalition@gmail.com

What is the Illinois Respite Coalition?

What We Do:

• The Illinois Respite Coalition (IRC) is a non profit

organization that provides respite care, information and referral services, and advocacy in Illinois

• Through the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disability we provide in-home support statewide except for Cook county and voucher respite in 69 counties in central and southern Illinois and one northern county, Lake county.
• Through the Administration for Community Living, with IDHS, DDD as our lead agency, the IRC provides Emergency Respite Care funding across the state for eligible caregivers of a loved one of any age or disability in an emergency situation

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What is respite?

What is Respite Care?

• Respite is a short time of rest or relief, it is a break for the caregiver
• The caregiver has downtime while the person with special needs receives care from qualified individuals
• An individual can receive respite care:
• At home, through a community organization or residential care center
• From paid staff, volunteers, family or friends
• For part of the day, evening or overnight
• Occasionally or on a regular basis
• Respite is important because more than 65 million people

provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family

member or friend during any given year

Who is eligible for respite?

• In Illinois, respite eligibility largely depends on the kind of program and other services the individual may be receiving
• Generally speaking, Illinois has services for a wide variety of disabilities across the age and disability spectrum
• Programs for the aging community
• Programs for mental illness
• Programs for developmental disabilities
• Programs for physical disabilities
• Illinois also offers emergency respite, which is a stipend given to caregivers to cover expenses while they are in an emergency situation
• This funding is available to caregivers of persons of any age with any disability as long as they are not receiving state or waiver funding

Why use Respite Services?

• Respite can give a caregiver the time and assistance required to meet personal needs
• Errands: shopping, exercising, doctors visits
• Sleep
• Socialize
• Respite provides comfort and peace of mind to the caregiver:
• Their loved one is receiving appropriate care from someone the caregiver trusts
• Offers the care recipient - an opportunity to interact with others, spend time in a safe environment and participate in activities that match their abilities

Photo courtesy of: needpix.com

Types of Caregiver Support at a Glance

• Services through the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)
• Respite (In-home, Voucher, Group, Residential Respite Beds)
• Rehabilitation Services
• Home Based Waiver when pulled from PUNS List
• Division of Specialized Care for Children
• Crisis Nurseries
• Services through the Illinois Department on Aging
• Care Coordination Units/ Area Agency on Aging
• Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
• Emergency Respite Care Program (ERC Program)

Emergency Respite Care Program (ERC)

• What is it?
• The ERC Program is a one-time-only voucher program intended to help caregivers of individuals across the lifespan with any disability
• Through funding from the Administration for Community Living through their lifespan respite care program state program enhancement grant, the IRC is able to offer funding to support caregivers in a planned or unplanned emergency.
• In a crisis or emergency situation (ex. Caregiver illness or hospitalization, other family emergency or need, extreme stress)
• The ERC Program reimburses the cost of supervision for the caregiver's loved one
• After services have been used, the IRC provides information and referral to other services, if available
• Eligibility?
• Caregivers receiving no other services, any age or disability is accepted (cancer, mental illness, physical disability, etc)

ERC → How to Apply pt.1

• Contact Us!
• Phone: 866-455-7377 ext. 101
• Email: tfoster@illinoisrespitecoalition.org (Tammy Foster)
• Referrals
• You can contact us directly, or you can be referred to us by other providers/ agencies
• Eligibility Screening
• Staff conducts a 5-minute call to verify information essential for program eligibility
• Ex: you are not receiving other state services, monthly stipends, or waiver services
• Ex: Your spouse/ partner is not the desired respite worker, because you both are considered caregivers
• Ex: The person providing respite is over 18 years old
• Ex: Care recipient was diagnosed with a disability (intellectual, developmental, chronic illness, cancer, dementia, alzheimer's, parkinsons, MS, etc)
• Ex: The hours will be utilized within one month after official approval

ERC → How to Apply pt.2

• Application + Contract
• Once the screening process has been completed, a fillable PDF application and contract is sent to the caregiver
• The application is ~5 pages, it will request caregiver and recipient information as well as social security numbers for the caregiver, care recipient and respite worker
• Tax ID if the respite provider is an agency
• The contract is an agreement between you and your respite provider (whether it is a person or a program)
• This sets the rate, the number of hours and the total amount requested
• The amount CANNOT exceed $500
• Post-Approval Process
• If approved, the Statewide Coordinator will send an email confirming the rate and number of hours, typically within 24-48 hours
• In the email a timesheet, reimbursement check request form, and survey will be attached
• All need to be filled out and submitted as soon as respite hours have been used

Other IRC Supports

Lending Library- The lending library offers technology, either an iPad or an Amazon Alexa, to help link caregivers and individuals with disabilities to respite services. It is available for caregivers or individuals with a diagnosed disability. The program serves statewide and across the age and disability, or their caregivers. Priority will be given to families who do not have access to iPads or other relevant technologies.

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Taskforce

Flyer-

Illinois Respite Coalition Lifespan Respite Training

• Free virtual training opportunity for any individual in Illinois
• Certificate of Completion when the training is finished
• Modules can be completed on your own time
• Opportunity to opt in to be included in the respite care worker registry
• If you are looking for a worker and want to make sure they are trained, this training is a great way to get foundational knowledge on respite
• http://www.illinoisrespitecoalition.org/training.html

Contact Information

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Illinois Respite Coalition

Services Statewide

ilrespitecoalition@gmail.com

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866-ILL-RESP

866-455-7377 ext. 101

ext. 103 for Spanish-speaking callers

www.illinoisrespitecoalition