Respite Care
Finding and Choosing Respite Care Services and Providers
For many, the challenges of caring for a loved one are part of daily life. Caregiving is a demanding, difficult job and no one is equipped to do it alone. Getting help is essential for your health, and your resilience is critical for your loved one.
Respite care provides short term breaks that relieve stress, restore energy, and promote balance in your life. Working with family members or friends may be difficult, but there are many respite care options and strategies that you may not be aware of.
Respite Care Basics
Seeking support and maintaining one’s own health are key to managing the caregiving years. Using respite care before you become exhausted, isolated, or overwhelmed is ideal, but just anticipating regular relief can become a lifesaver.
Respite can take many forms, but boils down to two basic ideas: sharing the responsibility for caregiving and getting support for yourself. Finding the right balance requires persistence, patience, and preparation.
Planning Your Relief
Planning starts with analyzing needs…both yours and your loved one’s. As a caregiver, is support what you need most? Some free time? Help with transportation? Keep track of your daily activities then make a list of the areas and times when you most need help. Identifying your loved one’s requirements, abilities, and preferences will also help you find the right match. Are social activities primary? Assistance with walking, eating or medications? Mental stimulation? Exercise? Answering these questions will help you determine which respite options to pursue.
In-home Respite Care by Approved In Home care
In-home services can be provided by Approved In Home Care, occasionally or on a regular basis. Services may last from a few hours to overnight, and may be arranged directly through our agency. This popular respite choice enables individuals to remain in their own environments, and can be invaluable for caregivers. Consider which of these options might meet your needs:
Personal care providers assist with daily living skills such as bathing, dressing, feeding, or toileting. Homemaker services support meal preparation, shopping, and housekeeping. Skilled health care, which requires more specialized training and experience, addresses medical needs.
At Approved In Home Care, we believe in giving peace of mind to our clients by offering the high quality caregivers. Our caregivers are friendly and co-operative. All “Approved In Home Care” agency employees are carefully selected and continually evaluated. All of our caregivers are bonded and insured for your peace of mind.
- Insured and Bonded
- In-depth interview to determine skills and experience
- Criminal background check
- Reference checks via phone or mail
- Drug Screening
- Personality Profile Testing
- Uniformed Professional Caregiver
Remember these 5 tips can ease the “Respite” process:
- Plan and schedule frequent breaks. Respite is not just a service-it is an outcome that requires regular relief.
- Use checklists to teach providers about your care recipient’s schedules, likes and dislikes. Offer suggestions for handling behaviors.
- Make back-up plans. Always keep a list of alternate providers and resources. Unplanned emergencies should not prevent you from taking care of yourself.
- Evaluate often. Observe your care recipient before and after respite sessions. Ask for brief updates and more detailed reports regularly.
- Expect changes. Respite care is a process that often requires fine-tuning, Anticipating and accepting changes in personnel or programs can keep you from becoming discouraged.
Care in your home is a highly practical alternative. It is comfortable and private because you don’t have t leave your familiar surroundings – and probably costs less than you think. If “Approved In Home Care” sound like a good idea for you or your loved one, call us today for a FREE in-home consultation.
We provide in home caregivers, sitters, CNA’s and help for seniors and the elderly in over 100+ cities here in North Texas: Dallas TX, Plano TX , Frisco, TX, McKinney TX, Allen TX, Fairview TX, Lewisvillle TX, Denton TX, Rockwall TX, University Park TX , Highland Park TX , Richardson TX, Carrollton TX, Farmers Branch TX, Irving TX, …see a full list.
Let’s talk….contact us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
