Many caregivers dedicate much or
most of their free time to taking care of their elder family
member. In an increasingly mobile society where some family
members have moved out of the general area, the remaining family
member(s) have an increased burden and very little chance to go
anywhere, do anything, or even have a family vacation.
Respite care allows caretakers to
allow temporary or occasional time off to recoup emotionally,
handle other family tasks or get away for awhile.
Respite care can take several
different forms:
In-home respite care workers
come directly to where the senior lives and often stay right there
on the premises. This can be an expensive proposition, but far
less than others.
Foster respite care - This
isn't a common method of respite care, but is still available in some
areas. Foster respite care requires that the senior
temporarily move into the caretaker's home and care is provided
there. Although the senior isn't in their own home, it is still a
home environment and may be the only other alternative that is
available.
Assisted living respite care
- When space is available, some assisted living centers offer
temporary housing and care. There are advantages and
disadvantages to doing respite care here. The biggest
advantage may be the opportunity to test the assisted living center
without having to commit to moving there permanently.
There are often many fears
associated with moving into an assisted living center, most of which
are based on fear of the unknown, but all of which are very real.
Moving into an assisted living
center allows the person to alleviate those fears, get to meet staff
and other residents, and get rid of most of those fears.
