Home Helpers

The Value of Respite Care

Providing care for a family member in need is an age-old act of love and loyalty. As life expectancies increase, more of use will participate in the caregiving process, either as the caregiver or the recipient of care. Even though many families take great joy in providing care to their loved ones so that they can remain at home, the physical, emotional and financial consequences for the family caregiver can be overwhelming without some support. Respite Care provides a break for the family caregiver, which may prove beneficial to the health of the caregiver. 60% of family caregivers age 19-64 surveyed recently by the Commonwealth Fund reported fair or poor health, one or more chronic conditions, or a disability, compared with only 33% of non-caregivers.

Respite has been shown to help sustain family caregiver health and wellbeing, avoid or delay out-of-home placements, and reduce the likelihood of abuse and neglect.

Respite care is the provision of short-term, temporary relief to those who are caring for family members who might otherwise require permanent placement in a facility outside the home.

Respite programs provide planned short-term and time-limited breaks for families in order to support and maintain the primary care giving relationship. Respite also provides a positive experience for the person receiving care. Respite care can be provided for a few hours a week or to help provide support when the primary caregiver goes on vacation or business travel.

There are various approaches for providing respite care.

In-home respitecare

In-home care is popular for obvious reasons. The temporary caregiver comes to the regular care receiver's home, and gets to know the care receiver in his or her normal environment. The temporary caregiver learns the family routine, needs of the care recipient, and the care receiver is not inconvenienced by transportation and strange environments. Respite services typically are obtained from a Home Care Agencies.

Facilities (personal care homes/assisted living)

Another model uses a, local facility where the care receiver may stay for a few days or a few weeks. The advantage of this model is that the specialized facility will probably have better access to professional assistance if needed.

Sitter-companion services

Sitter-companion services are sometimes provided by local civic groups, the faith community and other community organizations. A regular sitter-companion can provide friendly respite care for a few hours, once or twice a week. Care must be taken to assure that the sitter-companion is trained in what to do if an emergency occurs while the regular care-giver is out of the home.

Adult day care

Adult daycare may provide respite care during business hours five days a week. However, in some instances, this care may also be provided 24 hours a day.