When you are the primary caregiver for your ageing loved one, it can be challenging to take a break. You can take a half-hour break or relax for a few hours while your loved one sleeps, but you have continuous duties associated with caring for your loved one.
Caregiving can be physically and emotionally demanding, leading to stress, fatigue, and burnout. Respite allows caregivers time to rest and recharge, reducing the risk of exhaustion and health issues.
Respite care can provide temporary relief while ensuring your loved one still has the care they need. This guide thoroughly covers the question 'What is respite care?' and discusses how it can help you as a loved one, especially if you are the primary caregiver.
What Is Respite Care?
Respite care is all about the caregiver. It recognises the person or people giving care to the senior and acknowledges that they need a break.
Respite care is a flexible term that can change depending on the situation, but the overall focus is on a temporary break for the caregiver. The term could refer to several types of respite care, from a break that lasts for hours to one that gives the caregiver a few weeks off.
You can adjust respite care services to fit the specific needs of the caregiver and senior. You could receive in-home respite care or have the care provided in a retirement community, adult day care centre, or long term care community. So, you could find respite care that would fit your unique needs as the caregiver to your ageing parent or loved one.
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Why Is Respite Care Important?
Respite care recognises that caregiving is an ongoing, demanding job, whether paid or unpaid. Unpaid caregiving can be even more difficult, as it may require the person to work on top of caregiving or to deal with the financial burden of missing work to give care.
As a result of caring for their loved ones, the caregiver often sacrifices their own physical and mental health, relationships, and responsibilities. This can take a toll on their lives in many ways. They often face impacts on their mental, emotional, physical, social, and financial well-being. Do you experience these kinds of sacrifices and tolls as a caregiver?
Respite care allows you a break for whatever you need as the caregiver. It is easy to schedule respite care for a few hours or overnight. Here are some examples of when you might set up a respite break:
- You have medical appointments for yourself
- You need time to take care of errands, work, or something else important
- You need time to take care of your mental health
- You want to take a vacation
- You could use a few hours for yourself to do whatever you want with the time
- You have an event to attend
Respite care is critical to help prevent caregiver burnout or to help you recover if you are already experiencing it.
Respite Care and the Impact of Caregiver Guilt
The Family Caregiver Alliance found that of the 59 percent of caregivers who use assistance, only 15 percent use respite services. This shows that only a few caregivers rely on respite care support, which likely means they face some consequences from the number of caregiving responsibilities they take on. Whether you knew respite care was an option or not, it is worth considering it from this point forward.
You might feel guilty about taking a break, thinking that time for yourself could be extra time spent caring for your loved one. It is even possible to think that time for yourself is selfish. You are not alone if you experience caregiver guilt.
However, this is similar to the idea that you must put oxygen on yourself first in a plane before you help others. You can't continue to help others unless you can, and you have to take care of yourself to be able to.
In many cases, caregiving is a long-term situation that lasts years, so it is not reasonable to sacrifice all your needs and responsibilities for an extended time.
If anything, this could result in someone needing to take care of you if parts of your life are unmanaged and spin out of control or if you sacrifice your health to the point that you require significant care. Even the CDC recognises that it is essential to focus on the health of caregivers just as much as the health of care recipients.
Think about starting small with a few hours of respite on one occasion, and then you could try working your way up from there.
Who Provides Respite Care?
Respite care can take place in different forms. Your options include unpaid caregivers and paid caregivers.
Other family members or friends could take over for a while, giving you a break as the primary caregiver. There are also volunteers through community organisations that provide respite services. A volunteer could give a few hours here and there, whereas someone closer to the family could offer more support.
If you have a volunteer, neighbour, family member, or friend providing some support, you can have them contact you if they need help or provide them with contact information for medical or emergency support if needed.
If the unpaid option is unfeasible, there are paid respite care services. You could hire a respite provider, such as a companion or home health aide, for in-home respite care. This could be a short-term or ongoing solution for short breaks while you handle the rest of the caregiving.
You may find adult day services in adult day care centres in your area or through another community-based service. Adult day services can provide consistent breaks for hours or the workday.
There is also the option to have your loved one stay in a senior community temporarily, so they receive the care they need while you get a break or are away.
For instance, they could temporarily stay in an assisted living community or skilled nursing facility. This can be a great option when your loved one needs medical care, and you will be away for a week or more. It can also be an option for one night.
The care type may vary by how much your loved one needs. For instance, a volunteer or family member may be unable to provide medical support. They may simply provide companionship services, including supervision and social support.
If your loved one needs additional support or medical care that you provide as the primary caregiver, you would need to find the right kind of professional care.
What Services Are Provided Within Respite Care?
Before you set up respite care, consider your loved one's needs and your needs as the primary caregiver. Make sure you request the right services to fit your needs.
For instance, your older adult may be independent but needs supervision and help with meals. In other cases, your loved one may have a functional or cognitive impairment that requires additional support. In that case, you would need the right family member, volunteer, or trained respite provider to help.
In general, the person or service relieving you should ensure your loved one is safe. Beyond that, respite care could include various duties or services, such as:
- Companionship services, which can involve supervision and social support
- Custodial care, which involves helping with activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing
- Homemaker services, such as carrying out household duties like making meals and cleaning
- Basic medical care, like helping with medications and carrying out wound checks
- Managing a chronic illness or condition, a cognitive impairment, or a disability
- Transportation services, such as bringing your loved one to medical appointments
Determine what skill set would be needed to match your loved one's requirements and limitations. Can a loved one help, or do you need trained respite providers?
How Is the Cost of Respite Care Covered?
In many cases, the cost of respite care provided by a family member, friend, or volunteer would be free. Some senior care communities or organizations may also provide some complementary or included respite services.
Otherwise, you would need to cover the cost of paid caregivers, adult day services, or other services. These generally charge by the hour, day, or week.
Nonetheless, there are some options that may help. Private health insurance plans generally do not cover respite care, but some long-term care insurance plans may include coverage. Other payment options exist for respite care, including VA health care and long-term care insurance for qualified individuals.
Try not to assume that respite care costs would be too much. It is worth looking into certain options, such as:
- See if community organizations could provide free respite volunteers
- Encourage family members to provide their time or ask if they could contribute to respite care costs
- Speak with a social worker or other elder care professional about your options
- Check whether community or nonprofit programs work on a sliding scale
- Set up a system with other caregivers to switch off and give each other respite breaks
- Look into your veteran's benefits, if applicable
Overall, respite care is a great option for helping your loved one while also improving your own health and well-being. It is important to take care of yourself while you also take care of your aging parents. View caregiver resources by visiting: Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence.
Contact us to learn more about respite services offered and how they fit your family's needs.
How CarePatrol Helps with Respite Care
At CarePatrol, our local senior care advisors provide senior care options based on individual needs and preferences to ensure the quality of life for your loved one. We work with families to find the right senior and respite care options in your area.
With over 200 locations across North America, our local senior care advisors are incredibly knowledgeable about local resources, communities, and care options and will work with you to find the resources to fit your family's needs. To explore respite care options and senior care communities near you, contact a CarePatrol local senior care advisor.