Respite care is often something that caregivers find scary until they have a little more experience with it. It’s such a scary concept because it involves trusting someone else, which might be difficult for you to do in terms of your senior’s care. But respite can give you some of the things that you desperately need and some other things you didn’t realize you needed.
Takes Care of Little Tasks
One small way that respite care can help is that elder care providers can take over some smaller tasks while they’re already there. Cleaning up the dishes after your senior’s snack or helping her to set up an activity she enjoys are all well within that category. If your senior needs more help, though, they can also take care of those types of tasks.
Ensures Your Senior Isn’t Alone
For many caregivers, the biggest reason to rely on respite care is that they need to be elsewhere. Depending on your senior’s situation, that might mean that she doesn’t need to be left alone. Elder care providers offer companionship that doesn’t feel like babysitting, which is something your senior might rightfully resent.
Gives You a True Break
So often caregivers don’t take a true, actual break from caregiving. It’s difficult to do so, especially if your senior’s needs are significant. When you’ve got respite care in place, you’re able to take a true break from being a caregiver. Everything will be ready for you when you’re back, which is part of the appeal of having experienced elder care providers stepping in for you when you’re away.
Gives You a Tool to Battle Worry
If the biggest reason you’ve been avoiding taking any sort of break from caregiving is that you’re worried about what might happen with your senior, you’re not alone. That’s a common reason for many caregivers to just keep trying to plug away every day, even if they know they need a break. Worrying constantly isn’t going to keep anything bad from happening. What it can do is keep you from taking better care of yourself and that’s something you can’t allow to continue.
Respite care is something that you can schedule on a regular basis. Once you and you’re senior are used to the experience, it can really become part of your routine. That gives you a chance to get some real rest and to come back to caregiving refreshed.