Family caregivers understand the substantial emotional, financial and physical toll that serving as the primary caregiver often takes. The around the clock supervision of an aging loved one requires vast reserves of patience, endurance and skill.
Full-time caregivers need a break, too.
Though compassionately caring for a loved one in the comfort of home offers incredible personal rewards, caregivers deserve an occasional break. Whether time away is in the form of a few hours out of the home or a month-long vacation, the senior in your life can still experience continued support.
Respite care is the solution to burned out caregivers. Short-term, temporary care and attention define respite care. Primary caregivers can enlist respite care through varying arrangements: in-home caregivers, day facilities for the elderly, and extended stay centers.
The universal acronym for respite care offers a glimpse into the many benefits of respite care:
- R – Renewal and relaxation. Engaging in leisure activities or hobbies regularly allows you, as the primary caregiver, to experience a sense of well-being. Your relaxed state of mind gives you the focus you need to tend to your loved one once you return to caregiving responsibilities.
- E – Energy. You build up a welcome well of energy after taking time off from the daily responsibilities of caregiving.
- S – Space. Get away from the hassles of daily caregiving life for a brief time.
- P – Pleasure. You may be unable to engage in activities you enjoy while being a primary caregiver. Respite care gives you the time away to enjoy life and experience greater satisfaction.
- I – Identity. As the caregiver, your whole identity revolves around caregiving. Regain a sense of who you are through time off.
- T – Time away. Mini vacations refresh your perspective. Experts conclude that many caregivers take vacations of a week or more.
- E – Engagement. Prevent social isolation. Caregiving duties might lead you to unintentionally neglect friendships and family. Respite care is available so you can reconnect on a regular basis.
When wrapped up in caregiving responsibilities, primary caregivers may forget to replenish themselves or feel too engrossed in care so they fail to attend to their personal lives, families and career. A healthy lifestyle requires a family caregiver to also manage his or her life while tending to caregiving duties. Achieving this vital balance can be done through respite care.
Additional Benefits of Respite Care
Respite care, by its very nature, is always flexible. Family caregivers can arrange for intermittent time off, whether it’s a couple hours, overnight or a month, for various reasons that benefit not only the caregiver but the care recipient.
Advantages for the caregiver include time to travel and opportunities for breaks. Benefits for the senior receiving care include a change of pace, a test run to see if a senior living community is viable and an opportunity to ease into formal senior living.
A few hours off allow you the time to share your caregiving stories with other caregivers through a support network.
Individuals who care for a loved one with dementia, for instance, will benefit from hearing experiences from other caregivers who care for a senior with the same condition.
Exchanging ideas with people in similar caregiving situations allows for empathetic support, a clear idea of what works and what doesn’t and gives you ample time to destress.
Respite Care Offers Various Levels of Care
Respite care is invaluable since trained respite workers are effectively able to provide care for seniors with specific ailments. Many home health care agencies employ respite caregivers who are experienced and skilled in supporting seniors with Alzheimer’s, diabetes or stroke, for example.
If your specific situation calls for basic care, companion care is a viable option. The respite worker offers pleasant companionship, helps run errands or prepares meals during your time away.
In addition to basic care and care for specific conditions is personal care. Respite caregivers offer personal care to assist your loved one with personal, non-medical tasks, such as bathing, grooming, toileting and dressing.
Medically trained respite caregivers, such as registered nurses, will support a loved one with medical needs. A senior who is recovering from a recent surgery, for instance, will benefit from a respite caregiver who is licensed to provide medical care, like dressing wounds, administering medication and taking vital signs.
How to Pay for Respite Care
Take advantage of existing programs to pay for care
Another benefit of respite care is that Medicaid or Medicaid Waivers can help fund the price of respite care.
Federal or state agencies also offer funding to help cover the costs of respite care. Organizations that receive funding through the US Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging are also optional means to help pay for respite care.
The National Family Caregiver Support Program provides grants to states, which supports caregivers in numerous ways. The Caregiver Respite Care program is one of many options to consider for financial help.
Where to Find Respite Care
Vulnerable seniors should never be left alone at home. As the primary caregiver, you deserve a break from caregiving routines. Respite care from a reputable home care agency will simultaneously support both your loved one and yourself.
Assisting Hands Home Care is a trusted non-medical senior care agency that offers respite care to the aging population and their families.
About Assisting Hands Home Care
Assisting Hands Home Care in Park Ridge IL is a licensed, bonded and insured elder care agency serving the needs of local families in Cook County, IL who want to experience the benefits of respite care. As mentioned, respite care is extremely flexible.
Caregivers from the Assisting Hands Home Care team can be at your loved one’s home for any duration, whether for a few hours or multiple days.
Give yourself the care you deserve without feeling the guilt of leaving your loved one alone. Reduce depression, exhaustion, fatigue and other symptoms of burnout, too, by contacting Park Ridge’s most dependable senior care agency, Assisting Hands Home Care.
Our experienced team of respite caregivers are capable of managing every level of non-medical respite care required to help your loved one live with a sense of independence and dignity – even while you’re away. Experience relief.
Contact Us
Pick up the phone to contact Assisting Hands Home Care in Park Ridge, IL at (224) 444-6422.
