Being the caretaker for a family member who is incapacitated in any way can be very stressful. Trying to make sure that they are safe and have all their needs met may mean that your needs are ignored. It can leave you feeling drained. You may feel like you really need a break, but you don't know how you can get one. One way that you can do that is to use respite care.
What Is Respite Care?
The word respite means "a break." Respite care means that someone will be able to take care of your loved one and give you a break. That will allow you to refresh yourself and give you a chance to take a breath for yourself.
How Does Respite Care Work?
When you use respite care, you generally have the choice of how long you need it for, within certain limits. For example, your loved one's insurance provider may cover only so many hours of respite care a month, which means that you would have to figure out how to budget that time. You could choose to use it a few hours at a time, or use it all at once, such as taking a weekend off. You will either take your loved one into a respite care center or a respite care worker will come into your house. That will depend on how long your respite is going to be, what your loved one's needs are, and what the home health care agency that you use offers. For example, a loved one who is bed bound will need to have someone come to them instead of going somewhere else.
What Will the Respite Care Worker Do?
The respite care worker will do everything that you would do. They will make sure that your loved one's needs are met, including administering medications and making sure that your loved one is fed and bathed. Since respite workers generally work with home health care, you can make sure that the worker you get will have all the skills to make sure that everything gets done properly.
Taking care of your loved one is a 24/7 job. It is normal for you to get tired and stressed and need a break. If you don't get a break, you can't make sure that you have what you need for yourself, let alone have enough energy to take care of your loved one. Respite care will make sure that you get the break you need.
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