Having an elderly family member with a serious condition can require a lot of work on the part of family caregivers. The older adult may require daily care or even round-the-clock care. That can leave caregivers feeling worn out and like their lives revolve around the older adult. The good news is that there is a way for caregivers like you to take a break to focus on something other than their aging relative for a while. You may have heard of respite care. Although there are facilities that specialize in offering respite care, home care can also provide respite care without the need for the senior to leave their home and stay somewhere unfamiliar.
What is Respite Care?
Respite care allows caregivers relief from their caregiver duties for a while. It’s basically a fancy way of saying that someone else takes care of your loved one while you take care of yourself. To take advantage of respite from home care, you need only contact a home care agency to discuss scheduling someone to come to the senior’s house. Home care agencies have staff who are trained and experienced in caring for older adults in a home setting. The agency performs background checks and screenings to ensure the home care provider is trustworthy and has the necessary skills.
Home care providers can be hired to spend an afternoon with the older adult while you spend time with friends, go to a movie, or just take a nap. Or, you can hire home care for longer periods of time, including whole days, entire weekends, and even overnight.
Importance of Respite Care for Family Caregivers
Respite care is important for family caregivers because it can help to prevent caregiver burnout. Caregiver burnout is when a caregiver feels exhausted and overwhelmed by the work involved in caring for someone else. It has physical, mental, and emotional repercussions. Symptoms of caregiver burnout include:
- Feeling sad, irritable, or hopeless.
- Not wanting to spend time with family and friends.
- Physical symptoms, like headaches and body aches.
- Changes in eating pattern, such as eating too little or too much.
- Having no interest in activities you used to enjoy.
- Getting ill more often than usual.
- Using alcohol or medications more often than recommended.
If these symptoms ring true for you, you may be suffering from caregiver burnout or well on your way to it. Home care is an easy way to get the time you need to focus on your own health for a while.
Sources
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/caregiver-recognizing-burnout#1
https://www.webmd.com/cancer/what-is-respite-care#1
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-respite-care
If you are considering hiring home care in Pleasant View, UT, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Seniors Helping Seniors of Ogden, UT. Call today 801-821-4535.