Family members often take care of their elderly, ill, or disabled seniors, or aged parents. However, sometimes, they get overwhelmed both physically and emotionally with supervising their loved ones without any support or relief. Even dedicated and well-certified caregivers also easily get affected by a common condition called caregiver burnout. And thus, they require a temporary break from their responsibilities by taking a vacation, going to appointments, busy work schedules, or simply wanting to relax.
This is where Respite Care Services work as the most reliable phenomenon.
Respite care is short-term, professional support service for seniors and their families provided by certified caregivers. These bonded and insured caregivers provide care to people diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or other health conditions. They also assist older adults and people with illnesses or disabilities to give attention and support by providing a much-needed break to primary caregivers and family caregivers or members.
Let’s discuss in detail respite care and when you require it!
What are Respite Care Services?
In the USA, there are a number of caregivers holding down their full-time jobs and helping their seniors or parents with numerous activities such as bathing, transportation, grooming, mobility, meal preparation, and many others. However, while taking care of their seniors or parents, it becomes quite difficult for them to accomplish things such as running errands, enjoying personal hobbies, socializing with friends, taking care of their own needs, or getting away for a vacation.
This is where respite in-home caregiving services help and provide a temporary break whenever it’s needed the most. So, what is respite care for the elderly?
Respite care is a service offered to family caregivers or primary in-home hospice caregivers to get a short-term break, or temporary relief from their duties.
Sometimes respite care involves temporarily handing over responsibilities to another caregiver, such as a family member or friend. Other times, some people prefer to work with an organization to set up respite care with a professional.
Breaks can be long or short, depending on your needs. It concludes that you can set up respite care for a few hours, a day, a few days, or a few weeks. These services are also provided in several different settings, like in-home care, adult day care facilities, assisted living communities, or skilled nursing facilities. Generally, respite care can take place:
- In-home
- At special day-care centers
- In residential centers that offer overnight stays
Who Needs Respite Care?
These services are for a person who has an illness or disability that requires much-needed care 24/7. Every caregiver needs time for rest, relaxation, traveling, shopping, and performing other required activities.
This type of care service is most common among seniors or elderly. Additionally, it’s also available to patients of any age who are physically or emotionally challenged. Respite care services are for someone who has a condition like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, or other chronic conditions.
What is Included in Respite Care Services?
The providers of respite care offer a wide range of services, which work according to every individual client’s requirements. Whether it’s about requiring medication assistance or just a bit of supervision and championship, these professionals present a proper level of care to seniors.
Here are the following services that are included in respite care:
Supervision & Companionship
If your loved ones require 24/7 administration and companionship for completing several activities, respite care is an effective choice for them.
Perform ADLs
Activities of daily living (ADLs) include dressing, bathing, meal preparation, and eating. Some seniors suffering from dementia or other chronic diseases require regular assistance. ADL assistance is a standard service that isn’t possible without respite care providers.
Basic Medical Care
Some respite care providers also move forward to handle basic medical care, like medication management or wound care. If your loved one or senior needs medical care, hire someone who has passed through both basic and advanced medical training.
Manage Household Tasks
Respite care providers are also helpful in executing or handling several household activities, including laundry, grocery shopping, and light cleaning.
Mobility & Transportation
Some respite care workers provide transportation to help your loved one get to appointments or run necessary errands. They also help them with walking and getting out of the bed.
Meals
Respite care providers can also assist your seniors or parents with meal preparation and eating.
Provide Personal Care
Respite care providers pay full attention to the seniors and completely focus on their personal needs.
Types of Respite Care
There are three different types of respite care services available and your choice over them will depend on your personal preferences and the needs of your seniors.
Some people prefer to choose informal respite care where friends and family members take care of their seniors for a few hours at a time. However, if you require consistent assistance for your aging parents or seniors, it’s better to choose a formal type of respite. Below, we are going to explain some of the most common respite care types. Let’s have a look.
Adult Daycare Centers or Programs
According to the CDC, there are approximately 4,600 adult daycare centers across the United States.
Such centers are fully-fledged with respite care services and provide daytime caregiving assistance to seniors whose primary caregiver is on break. At an adult daycare, their trained staff grant assistance for a few hours or the whole day. These centers offer meals, exercise, personal care assistance, a variety of fun activities, and a safe environment to spend time with other people.
Hence, adult day care respite services are an excellent option for family caregivers who need daytime coverage for their seniors to handle their personal errands.
Professional In-Home Care
People who live with families sometimes go outside the state due to business trips or related to work. In such circumstances, they need the help of someone who provides consistent assistance in their absence. Working with professional in-home caregivers helps in providing respite care in the senior’s home. These skilled in-home caregivers offer full support from days to weeks, depending on the required basis or on a scheduled cadence. They help the seniors with toileting, grooming, helping with mobility, and higher-level medical care.
Residential Respite Care
Some seniors cannot live on their anymore. Therefore some senior residential communities offer short-term stays as respite care providers. These facilities have a specific number of beds for a few days’ stays. This is also an excellent option for primary caregivers who are on leave to complete their personal duties.
The Importance of Respite Care Services
Respite care is an effective means for seniors and caregivers. Despite providing enough breaks to caregivers, it provides numerous benefits for seniors in the form of a change of scenery and environment, engagement with new activities and community, and alleviating their own feelings of stress, loneliness, and isolation.
Here are the following benefits of respite care for caregivers and seniors:
Benefits for the Caregiver
- Free Time
Every caregiver requires much-needed time to get rid of the feeling of sadness, emotional outbursts, or loss of control to do better things. Plus, they also require additional time to de-stress, take a short vacation, or spend quality time with your own children.
- Flexibility
Respite care is a completely flexible care package that fills the gaps and prepares the caregivers for attending their seniors with full concern next time.
- Refreshing
Instead of falling into a desperate situation, it is advisable to take advantage of respite care before reaching the end of your rope. Always remember that a high-stress level will not only create physical illness but also disturb the person emotionally. However, respite care will never let you do that. It prevents caregivers from allowing them enough time to take care of themselves.
Benefits for the Senior
- Lower Tension
Most often, seniors suddenly become house-bound, which makes them irritable and upset with one primary caregiver. Therefore, giving your caregivers breaks and hiring another one will provide seniors much relief from tensions and frustration. Otherwise, it will create an unpleasant situation for everyone involved.
- Make Social Interaction
Regularly scheduling in-home respite care professionals will not only provide enough care but also allow your loved one to interact with someone besides you. They are bound to their houses. However, making interactions with different people is like making changes in their behavior. It will provide enough care and add valuable social interaction to your loved ones’ routine.
- Additional Experience
Professional caregivers are well-trained and qualified to lessen conditions like Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, COPD, and other diseases. Adopting respite care services will provide peace of mind, which makes your loved ones and seniors be cared for properly.
- Domestic Assistance
In-home respite caregivers most often assist seniors and their families with normal household chores, which might be quite difficult for them to take care of themselves. A respite caregiver will not only wash clothes, but also do shopping, prepare meals, and wash dishes for your loved ones.
How Much Does Respite Care Cost?
The cost of respite care not only depends on the type of agency but also depends on the level and duration of the providing services. Sometimes, Medicare and Medicaid cover the cost of short stays in hospital, depending on one’s health status and particular condition. That’s why it is necessary to check with your insurance plan and discover all the options before hiring a respite care provider that best fits your needs.
Some people prefer formal types of respite services and their average monthly cost is $1,603. Whereas, some choose in-home respite care from a professional caregiver. The national average cost is approximately $25 an hour. If you are planning to work with an in-home health care agency that can provide high-level medical care, their charges could be quite expensive, which could be $26 per hour in the United States.
Where Can You Find Respite Care Services?
Hiring a reliable and trustworthy companion for your loved ones could be a tough task. However, with Justin Villa Care, there is nothing to worry about. We do not only provide your loved ones or parents with a safe environment but also fulfill their individual needs.
All our respite care providers are well-trained and qualified who stay with your loved ones while you take care of yourself. We provide a custom care program that aims to engage your seniors in intellectual, physical, and emotional exercises and activities. Even our hospice respite care allows the caregiver to rest and recover from the requirements of daily in-home care.
To know more about our in-home and respite services, contact our team today.
