Good afternoon, new to the forum but desperate for some help. Mum has Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia, diagnosed August 2014, she lives at home with my husband and I. We are trying to get some, much needed, respite sorted but everywhere I phone am getting the same answer, I can only pre-book the respite a couple of days in advance. I work in a school and have to take my leave during school holidays, which is obviously a busy time! Mum needs nursing care. We live in Northern Ireland. What basically I am asking is, does anyone out there have the name of a nursing home that will take a respite booking in advance? Because all the nursing homes are privately owned they are run as a business and therefore will not take a booking in advance at the risk of missing out on a permanent placement in the empty bed. Thank you for your time.