Respite Care
Flickr image by Krikit
According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), there are currently an estimated 21% of the U.S. population providing unpaid “care to friends and family 18 and older. This translated into 44.4 million caregivers in the U.S. today.”
According to Caring.com, “every caregiver needs respite time if he or she is to last. It may be hard to think of yourself and your needs at this time, but if you don’t, your life will be consumed by your duties and you will burn out. Respite (a temporary break from responsibility) is not a luxury, it is a necessity.”
The caring.com article explains that there are a variety of respite care options:
- have a friend or family member stay with the patient
- take him/her to an adult daycare
- hire a professional sitter or caretaker to come to your home to look after the patient
- enroll the patient in a support group
The Alzheimer’s Association explains that “Respite care services are offered through community organizations, agencies or residential care facilities. The most common respite care services are in-home care and adult day centers.”
The Department of Health & Human Services provides readers with a national eldercare locator.
The Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project, Inc. also provides caregivers with a national respite care locator. Do not be turned off by the fact that the site is focused on respite care for children …. the locator is for patients and caregivers of all ages.
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