Being a caregiver for a friend or family member can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be an all-consuming responsibility. At times caregivers can feel stressed or drained of energy. Caregivers often benefit the most from respite care services as it gives them a much-needed break to recharge and restore balance to their lives.
Who Can Benefit From Respite Care?
What is Respite Care?
Respite care is a temporary break to relieve family caregivers of their usual caregiving duties and responsibilities.
Caring for an elderly loved one is rewarding and honorable work. However, it can also be exhausting and overwhelming, especially for those with busy schedules. Acting as the primary caregiver usually begins with small tasks but quickly becomes a full-time responsibility.
While receiving respite services, many caregivers run errands and attend to things in their lives outside of caregiving, such as work commitments or looking after their children. Caregivers might also take the time to do something they enjoy such as reading, shopping, exercising, or catching up with friends.
Respite Care for Caregivers
Caregivers can benefit from receiving anywhere from a few hours per week to an extended period of respite care.
Respite care is crucial for the overall well-being of caregivers because without it they are susceptible to experiencing feelings of extreme stress, including anger or resentment towards the person in their care or other family and friends in their lives.
After receiving respite care, caregivers often feel more relaxed, refreshed, and rested. By feeling less stressed, the caregiver can approach their caregiving tasks with increased patience and a more positive attitude, in turn improving their relationships.
Making Respite Care Easy
Of course, with all the benefits of receiving respite care, there are some challenges. It can be difficult emotionally for caregivers to leave the person they are responsible for in the care of someone else. Caregivers may experience feelings of guilt, worry, or a loss of control that could prohibit them from seeking or finding the respite care they need.
To ease at least some of the concerns mentioned above, the best thing a caregiver can do is to prepare the person receiving care, and the respite care provider by:
- Keeping the person in your care fully informed about anyone who will be providing their care
- Providing an organized and detailed schedule including up-to-date emergency contact information
- Maintaining current instructions on diet, personal care, likes and dislikes, and specifics on what to do in case of emergency.
Respite care helps family caregivers restore balance in their lives. It allows caregivers to take the time to recover from the stresses of caregiving and gives them the flexibility to take care of other important aspects of their lives. Respite care is a necessary tool to avoid caregiver burnout and support a caregiver’s success.
5 Benefits of Respite Care for Seniors
Respite care, provided in the home, offers temporary relief and support to individuals caring for someone with a disability, illness, or chronic medical condition. This care allows caregivers to break from everyday duties while professionals provide services tailored to a senior adult’s needs. Respite care providers can assist with daily living activities such as:
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Grooming
- Meal preparation
- Medication management
When considering respite care, most people think about how it benefits caregivers. However, seniors also receive many benefits, including:
1. Enhanced Safety
You might sometimes leave your elderly loved one alone for short periods to handle other responsibilities, increasing the risk of something going wrong. Respite care ensures that seniors don’t wander off, hurt themselves, or create danger in the home.
2. Promote Treatment Success
Being with your senior friend or family member daily can make it challenging to notice new health issues. Elderly respite care providers may observe symptoms as soon as they arise, increasing the chance for successful treatment outcomes.
3. Learn New Skills
Respite caregivers help seniors identify challenges and teach skills for managing them. Elderly persons may remain mentally stimulated and enjoy more self-sufficiency due to learning these skills.
4. Make Friends
Respite care allows seniors to make new connections with peers. Socialization is critical to overall well-being and can prevent elderly adults from feeling depressed, lonely, and isolated.
5. Get Acclimated to Senior Living
For many elderly adults, experiencing senior living through respite care alleviates fears about assisted living. As a result of respite care for seniors, they may feel more comfortable moving into a senior living community should the need arise.
Elderly respite care offers numerous benefits for seniors that can improve their quality of life while they age in place.
Types of Respite Care
Respite care can be provided at home or in a long-term care facility. Care can be provided by friends, neighbors, family members, volunteers, or a home health care service provider.
Promedcare
Being a family-owned business, the owners of Promedcare are engaged in the day-to-day operations and get to know both clients and caregivers on a first-name basis. Having both owners and staff present vs. working remotely with our clients creates a feel of FAMILY and allows Promedcare to create an environment of care that reduces turnover and increases dedication to the brand. We provide 24/7 service with the ability to interact with Senior Management and the owners as needed.
Promedcare has evolved into a caring business that focuses on individuals’ specific needs and preferences. This type of care fosters independence, happiness, and a sense of familiarity by acknowledging older individuals’ desire to age in the comfort of their own homes.
For some, it’s to provide extensive ongoing care for an aging senior. For others, we offer a much-needed break or, respite care – such as a night out with a spouse, vacation, or simply a few hours of quiet time at home – for family members who provide regular care. We offer a wide range of care services customized for each individual client.
Promedcare services include Personal Care Services, Companion Care Services, Dementia / Alzheimer’s Care Services, and Respiratory Solutions.
Contact us today to see how Prodmedcare can help you!