What is Respite (definition)?
- Respite care provides short-term relief for primary caregivers.
- Respite care is an essential service that allows caregivers to rest, recharge, and take care of their own needs.
- By providing temporary relief, respite care can help caregivers avoid burnout and maintain their own health and well-being. [1]
4 Types of Respite Care
- Informal Respite Care
“Informal respite care is simply non-professional care provided by a family member, friend, or neighbor. For most people, this is their first option since the temporary care is provided by someone familiar to both you and your loved one. You may drop your family member off at the person’s home, or the person can come to your residence.” [2]
- Adult Day Services
“Adult day services are usually available at a low cost, or via donation. The care is usually provided by existing establishments like churches and city-funded community centers. Limited medical care may be provided. These services provide social opportunities for your senior loved ones to interact with other seniors and form their own social circles. We can’t stress enough how important this is from a physical health perspective.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, people over the age of 50 who experience chronic social isolation have a 50% greater risk of dementia and a 29% higher risk of heart disease.” [2]
- Residential care
“Residential care is respite care in a senior community, such as a nursing or assisted living facility. This type of care allows for overnight stays and can last for several weeks. You can use this type of respite care if you’ll be out-of-town or need a longer break.” [3]
- In-home care
“In-home care comes to you. You can find in-home respite care for temporary situations or work out a regular schedule with a home care aid. You can find respite in-home care through home health agencies or by looking for individual caregivers.” [3]
Who Needs Respite Care?
“Someone who has an illness or disability may need care around the clock. Caregivers sometimes need time to rest and relax, go on vacation, shop, go to appointments, work, or exercise.
You might use respite care if you’re in charge of someone who has a condition like:
- Cancer
- A brain injury
- Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
- A stroke
- Blindness” [4]
Respite care costs
“Respite services charge by the hour or by the number of days or weeks that services are provided. Most insurance plans do not cover these costs. You must pay all costs not covered by insurance or other funding sources. Medicare will cover most of the cost of up to 5 days in a row of respite care in a hospital or skilled nursing facility for a person receiving hospice care. Medicaid also may offer assistance.” [5]
How to Find Respite Care
“Make sure any respite care service, program, or facility is licensed in your state and has insurance in case of an accident. You can also ask for the credentials, insurance, or experience of any care provider, and talk to them ahead of time.
If you care for more than one loved one, like both of your parents, check whether certain care programs will look after multiple people.
You may want to talk to a few care providers or visit several places to find the best fit. If possible, let your loved one take part. This will make you both feel more at ease with respite care.” [4]
Resources
[1] https://adayinourshoes.com/what-is-respite/
[2] https://www.homeinstead.com/location/347/news-and-media/different-types-of-respite-care/
[3] https://www.healthline.com/health/respite-care#types