When you are considering different types of care for your loved one, respite care might become an option. There are families and lifestyles that benefit from this type of care the most, and choosing this type of care can enhance the quality of your life for your loved one.
In this blog, we’ll help you learn about respite care, how it will assist your loved one, and the ways that it can benefit you and your family as a whole.
What is Respite Care?
The short explanation for respite care is that it provides short-term care to provide relief for primary caregivers.
Another reason a caregiver might use respite care is for an elderly person who needs to recover from a stay in the hospital. If the patient cannot return immediately, respite care is a great alternative.
This is a flexible style of adult caregiving, which can apply to the elderly. The duration of care is dependent on the patient as well as a family, corresponding with their lifestyle to provide relief as needed.
Why are Breaks for Caregivers Important?
One of the main purposes of respite care is to provide short-term relief to caregivers. Caregiving can be incredibly rewarding but is often a thankless job. It can easily make you lose sight of what you want for yourself, including any goals or enjoyable activities that you like to do.
What kind of caregivers can benefit from respite care? This can be friends or family who is caring for an ill or elderly person. Taking a break from caregiving is incredibly important to the caregiver, as it can cause a significant amount of stress and burnout over time.
During the break, caregivers are allowed to use their time in any way that they choose. This can be running errands, taking time to exercise, or even enjoying a class or a new hobby.
No matter the case, brakes are very important for everyone, including caregivers.
How Long Does Respite Care Last?
Respite care can last as long as you need it to. It can allow you to take a break for several hours once a week or can be multiple times a week at certain times of the day.
The schedule depends on the caregiver in the patient. Care can be arranged for one night, a couple of hours, or anything in between.
Once you determine the length of time needed for respite care, another consideration is the physical location of where the care will take place.
Where Does Respite Care Take Place?
This is also another flexible aspect of respite care. Depending on the family and the patient, there are a couple of options for respite care.
First, you can take your elderly loved one to a facility to receive respite care. They will receive the same treatment that you would expect from a quality nursing home, assisting with any needs your loved one may need in a short time frame.
Meanwhile, respite care can also take place inside the home. A caregiver may come to your home and provide relief for you to tend to tasks needed, returning at some point of the day.
Whether you choose to do respite care at home or in a facility is a personal choice. It may depend if you have access to all necessary medical needs the elderly loved one may require. Some nursing homes offer overnight stay with respite care which can also tend to medical needs as well.
Different Types of Respite Care
This overview on different types of respite care can help you consider the option that is right for your family:
Informal respite care: This is when entrusted friends and family step in to help care for an elderly loved one for a couple of hours. However, this might not be a good long-term solution if you need respite care while into the future. Well-meaning friends and families might have jobs and their own lives to look after, making it difficult to serve as informal respite care on a regular and predictable basis.
Adult daycare: According to the CDC, there are 4,600 adult daycare centers in the United States. Adult Day Care centers are used for the elderly who need companionship and assistance during daytime hours. This option helps with self-esteem as well as building confidence.
The typical time spent in an adult daycare center is roughly 6 to 8 hours a day. They will usually eat food, snacks, and get to socialize with others during their stay. They will also get to participate in fun activities and games.
At the end of the day, a loved one comes to pick up the patient and take them home.
What is the cost of adult daycare? Adult daycare centers can cost upwards of $100 per day, depending on the geographical location and needs of your loved one.
Professional in-home care: This is when a trained care professional comes to care for your loved one in your own home setting. This is a good option if you need to step out when a loved one lives with you. You might prefer to not leave them alone while you go to work or run errands.
What kind of assistance can a professional in-home care provider offer for your elderly loved one? The following applies:
- Bathing and grooming
- Preparing food and eating
- Medical administration
- The offering of companionship in the home
- And more
If your loved one has more complex medical needs, a professional and home care provider can be a better option for respite care. This is because Adult Day Care centers do not necessarily tend to all of the medical needs of your loved one, especially when it comes to medication administration.
Residential Respite Care: This is when you choose to take your elderly loved one to a physical location for respite care. This can be a good option when the caregiver wants to go out of town or they want an extended period of time off for a break.
Not only can residential respite care offer an extended break, but they are also suited to help with any type of medical needs while you are away.
What Are The Benefits Of Respite Care?
There are many benefits of choosing respite care, which apply both to the caregiver and the patient.
Caregivers Get a Much-Needed Break
Caregiving is a 24-hour day, seven-day-a-week job. It can be hard for caregivers to pull themselves away from their loved one, especially when they are the only person who provides care.
With the help of respite care, caregivers can take a step back while focusing on themselves. Remember that it is not selfish to give yourself a break! You need and deserve the time to collect your thoughts and fill your cup. After all, you cannot continuously pour from an empty cup, no matter how much you want to.
Respite Care Provides Assistance When You Need it
Whether it is a medical emergency or administering medication, respite care is there to assist you and your loved one. Even unexpected events can be handled under professional respite care, with caregivers who have the knowledge and skill to tend to medical needs.
Respite care is flexible
Especially if you work outside the home, you might need flexible care for your loved one. With in-home or residential respite care, you can work with your own schedule while your loved one is looked after and cared for.
Is Respite Care Right for You?
If you are unsure whether or not respite care is right for you and your loved one, consider the following:
- You are feeling signs of caregiver burnout, which include withdrawing from friends, feeling irritability, and changes in sleep or eating patterns.
- You’re feeling frustrated by feeling a lack of control in your situation.
- You may feel that you are placed with unreasonable demands and expectations.
- You long for the time where you can go and spend the day as you please.
- You’re having difficulty functioning in your rule, or you are even getting sick more often than you normally do.
Caregiver burnout is a serious problem. The good news is that you can prevent the situation with the help of respite care. Meanwhile, It’s easy to ensure that your loved one is in good hands when you choose in-home or residential respite care.
Get Respite Care from Integrity Senior Placement
Caregivers trust Integrity Senior Placement for in-home and residential respite care. Our trained staff is skilled and equipped to handle the rule caregiver while you step away, weathers for a couple of hours or a week.
We invite you to contact us about our respite care services, giving yourself a much-needed break and the attention that your loved one deserves.