As our nation’s senior citizen population grows, we often find ourselves coming to grips with increasing incidents of Dementia & corrective surgeries (hip, knee, cardiac bypass, etc). This oftentimes creates situations where we have spouses or other family members taking on the role of primary caregiver for their loved ones.
In cases where the elderly spouse is designated the Primary Caregiver there may have been a prior decision made to insure only one spouse. But, what happens when the uninsured spouse is the one that ends up needing care? There are other instances where couples figure one will take care of the other if need be. But, what happens if both are injured or ill at the same time? What happens when the primary caregiver has his or her own ailments or simply becomes worn out?
This “worn out” state is often referred to as caregiver burn out is can associated with Alzheimer’s care or any other caregiving scenario and is very common. An Alzheimer’s diagnosis or any other type of Dementia is chronic and increasingly debilitating. In these situations, the primary caregiver may give so much attention and energy to their loved ones that they run the risk of exhausting themselves which then creates a real problem.
It is in situations like these that respite care becomes a viable solution. It provides the -family caregivers with the break they need, and also ensures that their elderly loved one is still receiving the attention & care that he or she needs.
What is Respite Care?
Respite care refers to short term, temporary care provided to people with disabilities in order that their families can take a break away from the daily routine of caregiving with the goal of helping the caregiver’s lower stress and at the same time fill the needs of the individual receiving care.
Types of Respite Care
In-home Respite Care: In-home respite care is temporary care provided in the person’s home. This allows the family and patient to be comfortable and saves them from having to adjust to a new environment. Some providers aren’t licensed, but they can help the elderly loved one with simple tasks around the home and give the caregiver time off to attend to themselves.
Home Health Care Services: A trained and licensed Home Health Aide comes to the home and helps with duties that require a level of expertise and certification. These tasks could include injections, monitoring, physical or occupational therapy. This is an easy and adaptable solution and services are ideally available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Adult Day Care: Provides your loved one with supervision and social interaction outside of the home for anywhere from a few hours to a whole day. Adult day care doesn’t usually offer overnight care. Many adult day care centers provide personal care, such as assistance with taking medications, going to the bathroom, and eating. Meals and/or snacks are often included.
Government Programs: There are many available government programs that may be available to you in your local area. You can find out about these programs by contacting your local area agency on aging.
Getting Help with Short Term Respite Care
Short term respite care can relieve some of the care-taking duties and keep the identified patient safe and cared for. Respite time can be as little as 12 hours a week on a regular basis to allow the caregiver time to rest and also take care of their own needs, i.e. doctor appointments without the stress of leaving their loved one alone.
The caregiver parent should be encouraged to take trips to see children, especially for family events. In many cases an aide can be hired to travel with the elderly family member, hired at the destination or be a 24 hour live-in aide while the well spouse is away. There are several choices. Families can decide together what makes the most sense in their individual situation. A little respite time goes a long way in helping the Primary Caregiver have a needed break to rest and recharge so that they can continue with their immense responsibilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment