Anyone who has ever been a senior caregiver knows just how demanding the job can be.
On the one hand you want to be there for you senior parent, friend or family member.
On the other hand, sometimes you just need to get away from it all.
Respite care provides a happy medium, allowing you to take on the majority of caregiving duties while stepping in for a few days or weeks (however long you need to get away from it all) to cover for you.
Respite care is also an appropriate solution in situations where a senior has just been released from a hospital, rehabilitation center or nursing facility, yet still requires some basic care before he or she is back to full functioning.
As the name implies, this care provides a respite for everyone involved in the caregiving equation (i.
e.
, both the patient and the caregiver).
The Alzheimer's Association explains it in this way: "Respite care provides caregivers a temporary rest from caregiving, while the person with Alzheimer's continues to receive care in a safe environment.
" And turning to this type of care is not something anyone should feel guilty about.
As the association points out, "Using respite services can support and strengthen your ability to be a caregiver.
" And because many care options feature posh suites with all kinds of amenities, the senior loved one being cared for there will feel like s/he is on vacation too.
It bears noting that respite care isn't just for individuals whose loved one is incapacitated by disorders like Alzheimer's.
Any medical situation that reduces a senior's ability to care for him or herself is suitable for this kind of care.
In fact, a respite care facility can fill in the gap between hospital discharge and returning to home so that a recovering senior doesn't have to place the burden of his or her care on family or friends at all.
Open heart surgery recovery is the perfect example of this.
As the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, stresses, "Before you leave the hospital after heart surgery, you will be given instructions on how to care for yourself during the first phase of recovery, which lasts about six to eight weeks.
" Once discharged, most such patients are too well for full nursing care but not quite well enough to get back to their normal routines yet.
Respite care takes over at this in-between range of recovery.
What kind of care exactly will a guest receive at a respite care facility? Assistance typically is provided in the areas of bathing and dressing, escort and transfer, medication management, activities and social events, meal preparation and provision, round-the-clock nursing staff, emergency response, housekeeping, and linen and laundry service.
Salon services may also be available for an added fee.
Caregiving can be a very rewarding experience but it can also sometimes feel like a burden.
Respite care takes that weight off the caregiver's shoulders and allows convalescing seniors to have a say in who is going to be involved in getting them well again.
Whether it's just a few days or several weeks, respite care is a happy-medium, short-term care solution.