What Does Respite Care for Elderly and Senior Citizens Entail?
What does Respite Care for Elderly Involve?
When an elderly loved one needs a great deal of support it can be overwhelming. It’s important to take care of the caregivers as well.
There are resources and support options like respite care which make it possible to have the peace of mind and know your loved one is safe and well cared for while you’re caring for yourself.
Many caregivers don’t even realize respite care is an option.
What is respite care for the elderly?
Keep reading as we explore what respite care for the elderly is, what the benefits are and why it’s so important.
What is Respite Care for the Elderly and Senior Citizens?
Respite care is really a short-term helping hand that gives your elderly loved one a safe place to stay and rest while caregivers, family members or loved ones take care of themselves and life.
Respite care can be helpful in several situations:
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After Hospitalization
800 000 elderly patients each year in the US are hospitalized due to a fall with injuries such as hip fractures and head injuries.
This often requires a time of rehabilitation and for the family to get safety measures in place and a care plan in order before their loved one can return home.
It can often take several weeks or months before someone recovers fully if they do. This can put a strain on family and many can’t afford or don’t qualify for regular home care.
Respite care for the elderly can help give the family time to rearrange their schedule, obtain and set up proper home health equipment such as hospital beds or safety rails and give the family time to adjust to the new reality.
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Caregiver Self Care
Respite care for elderly family members provides the gift of time for self-care for caregivers.
More than 37 million adults in the US provide unpaid care to loved ones with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Many do it with little support and run a high risk of getting caregiver burnout.
80% of family caregivers provide care 7 days a week.
Having a block of time to take care of themselves, look after other life responsibilities or spend time with relaxing is vital to their health and the well-being of everyone involved.
Having some supportive and trustworthy home care can relieve stress, give them time to attend their own appointments, do grocery shopping or take care of business knowing their loved one is being watched over.
Learn more as we delve into some of the often unmentioned benefits of respite care for the elderly.
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Socialization
While many elderly individuals love their routine, it can become frustrating to caregivers and their loved one if they are always together and never have a chance for socialization with anyone else.
As health fails and more care is needed the social circle of those involved becomes smaller and they become increasingly isolated. Respite care can provide caregivers with the time to talk about life with friends, seek out counseling or just enjoy their time with others.
Respite care provides an opportunity for your loved one to share stories and enjoy some time with a new or friendly face. It also gives the caregiver a chance to catch up with friends or visit a nice restaurant.
This can help ward off depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns associated with isolation.
A Second Opinion
When family members are full time caregivers they can get into a rut or be too overwhelmed, tired or busy to notice every change in a loved one’s health and wellness.
Respite care can provide a new opinion from fresh eyes.
You know your loved one better than anyone, and you’ve become an expert in caring for them but a respite caregiver is trained to be observant and may notice something that you didn’t.
Having respite care occasionally can bring the peace of mind that they were well taken care of during your time apart and that there is nothing new to be concerned about.
Respite workers are trained to notice signs and have experience. They may have methods of getting a stubborn loved one to easily take their medication or to calm their anxiety with a certain song.
New Ideas
A wise man said, “you don’t know what you don’t know”. How true that is!
Respite care can possibly provide a new perspective and ideas to physically and emotionally engage and exercise your loved one’s body and mind.
They may have tricks to assist them in getting dressed more easily or know of a way to take the bitter taste out of their medication.
Respite care provides a wealth of knowledge, experience, and skills at a family’s disposal.
Good for Your Mental Health
Everyone needs a vacation at some point. That doesn’t always seem possible when you’re caring for a loved one.
A family vacation or some R&R away from the everyday stress of care-giving can be good for your mental health and help you rejuvenate and re-energize.
Having a week away to rest can help you come back and be able to appreciate your time with your loved one more. You can regain your sense of self and gather the energy to face the days to come.
Respite Care for Elderly Can Make the Difference
Having a loved one who needs full time care can seem like an overwhelming task without support.
Respite Care for elderly loved ones can bring moments of peace, joy, and gratitude into your difficult days.
For more ways to get the most out of life check out our blog posts on life.
My Uncle Herman is not what he used to be and he’s getting old really fast, so I want to know what are some good tips to keeping him healthy even as he’s approaching retirement. I loved how you stated that respite care for the elderly can find ways to get them emotionally and physically engaged during retirement care because Uncle Herman is still very much in denial of his condition and thinks that he’s just fine, and this can cause some complications in the future so we need to get him accustomed to the new lifestyle. I’ll be looking for home respite care services that can help us take care of Uncle Herman while taking your article into account. Thank you!