Convalescence Home Benefit – helping you to recover

If you’ve been ill, undergone an operation, suffered a bereavement or other traumatic experience, Convalescence Home Benefit* offers a short break of up to two weeks (or two one-week breaks) to help you recover.

Travel expenses, of either car mileage or standard second class travel on public transport, are also included to get you to your convalescence hotel and back.

Convalescence Home Benefit is available to members from the start of their third year of membership and can be accessed every other year if qualifying medically.

Another Oddfellows member can also accompany you as a carer (using their own benefit entitlements) providing they too have been a member for a full two years or more. However, if you need a carer and they are not a member, please ask us for advice.

Please note that you may be required to pay a small excess at some facilities and at certain times of year if our benefit allowance does not cover the full cost of the stay. Any excesses will be highlighted to you prior to your stay.

Our partner hotels

Your convalescence stay could be at one of the Society’s main partner hotels. These are:

• Yorkshire Foresters Home, Bridlington, East Yorkshire
• Merton House Hotel, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire
• The Salfordian Hotel, Southport, Merseyside

The following specialist facilities are also available:

• Rustington Convalescence Home, between Littlehampton and Rustington, Sussex – which offers personal and nursing care, suiting those who may need a higher level of support
• Revitalise Breaks – which offers specialist breaks for carers and people with disabilities, including dementia, at three centres in Hampshire, Essex and Southport

Most of our facilities do not provide personal or nursing care, except by individual arrangement and there will normally be an additional cost for these services. Extra help may be available towards any costs which exceed the benefit, such as from the Friendly Societies Convalescent Scheme.

If you think that none of the listed facilities fit your needs, or are too far to travel to, then please get in touch and we can see if there are other ways in which we can help.

We also understand that there may be times when travelling for a stay away just isn’t the best solution, for example if you’re too unwell, need to be on-hand for treatment, or if going somewhere unfamiliar could have a detrimental effect. In these cases the best option might be receiving short-term care at home or even a few nights of live-in care which could be provided through our Convalescence Care Benefit.

How to apply

Please contact your Branch Secretary who will send you a Convalescence Home Benefit Application Form (V420) which you need to complete and return to the Oddfellows’ Care and Welfare team. You can find their contact details by using our Branch Finder.

The application form will include:

• Information for you to complete, including where and when you wish to go
• A data protection and consent box which you must sign
• A transport agreement which needs to be completed by a friend or relative who is prepared to collect you if you become ill during your stay
• A medical questionnaire which needs to be completed by your doctor or other health professional involved in your care

Please note that Convalescence Home Benefit applications should not be made more than three months ahead of the date you wish to take your break and all bookings must be made through the Oddfellows’ Care and Welfare team. You should not contact the facilities directly.

Applying as a carer

If you are applying to accompany a member as their carer, you need to complete a Carer Application Form (V422) for yourself, sign the data protection and consent boxes and sign the box on page 3 confirming that you are accompanying the member as their carer. You do not need to get your doctor to complete a medical questionnaire unless you also have health or care issues which the convalescent facility needs to be aware of.

If you need a break away from the person you care for, our Carer's Respite Benefit may be able to help.

Not yet an Oddfellows member? Help during difficult times is just one of the many benefits of Oddfellows membership. Discover other ways in which we can help you get even more out of life.

*Terms and conditions apply to all financial benefits. All Oddfellows benefits are non-contractual and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Read the full list of member benefit terms and conditions.