What do you know about respite care? Respite care is a category of home care that’s designed to give family carers a break. Respite care is short-term relief for a day, a week, or a few weeks. It’s there to allow you to recover from an illness, take a short vacation, or simply have a few hours alone.
Family carers shouldn’t ignore the need for respite care. It’s how you de-stress, relax, and have time to do things for yourself. Just 24 hours away can help you return to your parent’s house with a clear mind and a positive attitude. Here’s how respite care works.
Someone Fills Your Shoes for as Long as You Request
Respite care helps with the same tasks you do for or with your parents. Caregivers show up at the scheduled time, help out for the number of hours you’ve arranged, and leave. It’s just like you do for them.
You can hire respite care for a day each week, a week every few months, or as a one-time thing. Say you come down with shingles and are dealing with the nerve pain. You could stay at home and recuperate while a home care aide takes over and helps your parents for a few weeks. When you’re feeling better, the caregiver’s services end and you return to helping your parents.
If you have children at home, you might want every Friday off to help in your child’s classroom. With home care, you’d arrange to have respite care services each Friday until further notice.
What Can Home Care Aides Help With?
What are you helping your mom or dad do every day? If you need caregivers to help them shower and dress, talk to a home care agency about that. You can have caregivers take over the medication reminders, meal preparation, and ambulation help you offer.
With respite care, your parents have the same help from the caregiver as they have from you. The only difference is that you’re taking a much-needed break. While you’re away, you can run errands, get your own medical appointments caught up, or have a day to relax and unwind with nothing on your to-do list.
Call a Home Care Agency
Are you ready to arrange to have respite care services? Call a home care agency and talk about your needs for time off. Let the specialist know what your parents need help doing and how often you need the day off. Arrangements will be made to match your needs.