What is Respite Care?
Published: 29/03/2019
Respite care provides short-term relief for family CareGivers. It can be arranged for just an afternoon or for several days or weeks. It provides temporary relief for a primary CareGiver, enabling them to take a much-needed break from the demands of supporting their loved one’s care needs.
A typical example of where respite care would have helped if put in place in time was a couple who had lived in their own home with the husband looking after his wife who had increasing problems with Arthritis. His own heart condition took second place to his wife’s more immediate care needs until the point that he had to go to hospital for a spell, leaving a care home being the only option for his wife’s care. In this instance, respite care would have enabled him to attend to his own medical needs as well as providing the down time he needed to rest and recuperate from the strain of caring for his wife.
Maintaining the primary CareGiver’s own health and having the support to do that are key to managing a healthy lifestyle for everyone concerned. It’s not selfish to need time to yourself. It isn’t bad to feel overwhelmed by the daily grind of caregiving. With families living increasingly distantly, especially in the current circumstances, having external support becomes a crucial element in allowing your family member to remain in the comfortable and familiar surroundings of their own home.
Having time away to pursue a hobby, see friends, or just to yourself will renew your patience and compassion and help you reconnect with the person you’re caring for. A break to recharge your batteries, whether that’s an afternoon, a weekend or longer, can often provide a new focus to the CareGiving role. Having someone else supporting you can also bring a new perspective on how you might be able to tackle some of the issues you face day to day.
Right at Home North Somerset’s respite care services can be for a short period or a few weeks to cover a family member or regular CareGiver’s time off, holidays or day trips. These can be arranged as one-off or regular visits. We aim to make the temporary change in circumstances as easy for you as possible.
As with all of our services, we will agree with the Client and their family a specific care plan that addresses exactly how they would like their support delivered, based as far as possible on their usual, day-to-day routine. This helps us to match a suitable CareGiver with the Client, allowing for a good relationship to build as quickly as possible, and to give the primary carer the confidence to leave their loved in Right at Home’s hands.
To learn more about our respite care services, please get in touch.
