Family Caregivers: Enjoy the Many Benefits of Respite Care

Meeting the care needs of an elderly or disabled loved one is a physically, psychologically, and emotionally demanding task, and it’s crucial for family caregivers to take time away to rest and relax on occasion. Respite care provides relief from the everyday responsibilities of caregiving, allowing family caregivers to also care for themselves.

Here are a few basic principles of respite care:

• Respite from daily, ongoing care tasks ensures seniors still receive the attention they need and deserve.
• Respite care provides family caregivers with care that is planned, temporary, intermittent and substitute.
• Respite care can be provided from part of one day to ongoing scheduled routine relief.

How you can help a family caregiver:

• Offer to share caregiving duties. Even if you can only help out once in a while, it shows the family caregiver that you care about his or her health.
• Offer to assist with the family caregiver's personal chores. Family caregivers have lives of their own, and taking time to manage their own laundry, grocery shopping, and housecleaning chores can be a challenge.
• Chip in for respite care services from a professional home care agency, like the Grants Pass senior care experts at All Care. Often, family members who live at a distance want to contribute to a loved one's care. Helping to pay for respite care services not only helps the senior, but the family caregiver as well.

How family caregivers can help themselves find needed support:

• Ask for help.Other family members are often available to help with caregiving, but are unsure what help is needed. Involve them in the respite care plan so you can easily take time off when needed.
• When family members are not available, arrange for respite care from an agency like All Care. Professional caregivers can help family members take the time away that they need while providing quality care for their senior loved ones.
• Talk to your senior loved one.A change in daily routine, such as bringing in a new caregiver, can be stressful for the senior, so take the following steps to alleviate any concerns:
  • Have a respite care plan in place in advance
  • Remind the senior regularly that your break is coming up and someone will be coming to provide care
  • Introduce the senior to the new caregiver if he or she is not another family member
• Stick to your plan.Taking time away from caregiving is crucial to your health. Make sure that all who are involved in your respite care plan are on board so that you can make time to care for yourself.

The bottom line is, no one person can do everything alone, and there is professional help available through All Care’s team of caregivers in Grants Pass, OR and the surrounding areas! Contact us at (541) 857-9195 to learn about our in-home respite care services.