What Is Respite Care?

Respite care is a situation in which someone who is the primary caregiver to
another person is temporarily relieved of his/her care giving duties by another
caregiver or any of the other available option. It is an arrangement that allows a
primary caregiver the ability to take a break from his duties of being responsible
for a patient so he can take care of himself.

Who Can Provide Respite care?

There are various forms respite care can take. They include a primary caregiver
being replaced by a friend, family member, a skilled caregiver or the patient
temporarily spending time in a nursing facility (or adult day care). There is no
single solution that fits everyone.
The primary focus for choosing a form of respite care is the needs of the patient.
Many people opt for family member or friends. This is usually the most basic
form. The problem with this option is that they are usually untrained to give care.
As a result there are lots of problems that could arise from this arrangement. A
professional Caregiver, on the other hand, is trained and will know how to handle
whatever problem or situation may arise.

Why Is Respite Care A Reliable Option?

The most important reason why respite care is a viable option for any caregiver is
that it enables the primary caregiver rest and refresh. It helps the primary
caregiver avoid burn out – a very common problem when caring for a loved one.
When caring for a loved one, emotions are always involved. This is not a bad
thing. How can you really care for someone if you cannot be affectionate about
them? You really cannot.
The problem usually arises when loved ones do not know how to be professional
about caring with affection. They sometimes let their emotions run them into
exhaustion. Professional caregivers are trained to be affectionate while being
professional and caring for a client at the same time. The result of the approach
family members take is usually burnout.

Until the primary caregiver gets some time of rest and refreshing, they usually
cannot be effective at caring for a loved one. This is another reason for respite
care: To be able to fully and effectively care for the one you love. If not carried
out, primary caregivers will keep watching themselves fail at minor tasks and not
be able to do anything about it. This stirs up several emotions including guilt on
the part of the primary caregiver and sometimes resentment on the part of the
loved one. The love one may begin to feel the caregiver is not carrying out her
duties effectively because they no longer care deeply.

To successfully choose a form of respite care for your loved one there are several
considerations that must be made. They include:

• Does the caregiver have the necessary qualification to care for the patient?
  Do they have the required skills needed to care for the patient in question
  for a significant amount of time?
• Are the caregiver and the patient’s personalities and interests matched?
  This is a very important factor for companionship – especially with the
  older folks who usually do not have a very wide range of interests.
• Who will be responsible for paying for the caregiver? While professional
  caregivers may be the best option when considering respite care, they are
  not free. They come at a cost that is best budgeted for and discussed about
  before hiring professional services.
• Can the caregiver be relied upon? When it comes to reliability, it may seem
  that friends or family members will be the most reliable but this has proven
  false on many occasions. They have their own lives and jobs and may have
  to attend to those as it has nothing to do with their sources of income or
  passion. Most professional caregivers have a passion for caring for others,
  are trained fir it, and also know that their paychecks come from it and will
  usually kill all forms of excuses.
  There are so many other factors that should be deliberated or considered before
  deciding what form of respite care to employ.

At Grace Provider Services, we provide respite care services for family and
primary caregivers who need the assistance. When you choose to use our
services, we take into consideration all of the factors affecting the situation –
health condition of your loved one, interests, nutritional requirements, length of
time primary caregiver will be away etc – and get a caregiver that is the best
match for the situation.
This ensures that both the primary caregiver and your loved one get the best care
they can during the period.