Caregivers Need a Break, Too

If you're a family caregiver for a disabled or chronically ill person, you're probably on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The demands on your schedule may leave little time for food shopping, exercising, socializing… let alone sleeping. Understandably, there’s going to come a point when you’ll need to take a break from your caregiving responsibilities—and you shouldn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed about it.

Respite care provides caregivers with a much-needed breather from their daily responsibilities. It might involve adult day care or a short-term stay in an assisted-living facility—or it may help provide a home-health aide or a private-duty nurse. Respite care allows a caregiver to go to a doctor's appointment, shop for groceries, or do something as simple as take a nap, go to a movie or visit with friends. “At a certain point, you have to call in the troops," says Sandra Fuchs, a mother of three in Redondo Beach, California, who cared for both her aging parents as they battled multiple health problems, including brain cancer.

Respite can take many forms, according to Judith Diamond, director of community relations for Concepts for Living, a free residential placement service for seniors in Southern California. "It can include church-related or city-sponsored programs, adult day-care centers, and adult day-health centers," she explains. A senior can attend a program from four to eight hours a day on weekdays with activities that include current-events discussions, movies, board games, cards, dancing, and crafts. Some programs even include transportation.

Respite care can be partially covered through Medicaid and some insurance plans, Diamond says. "Also, some insurance plans cover short-term respite care in skilled-nursing facilities while a family is on vacation—anywhere from a week to 10 days," she adds. "Another option is to hire a caregiver who can stay in your home while you're away."

“Caregivers also need to know they're not alone,” she adds. Many community programs offer caregiver retreats that focus on stress reduction, finding community resources, maintaining the caregiver's own health, and/or reducing the feeling of isolation.

How to Locate Help

To find out about respite care facilities near you, check with your local or state agency on aging. In a few states, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration on Aging (AOA) can help you find what you need. Simply look in the city- or county-government section of your phone book under "Aging" or "Social Services."

The AOA also offers a nationwide, toll-free directory called the Eldercare Locator, which can help you locate an appropriate local agency. Call 800-677-1116, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. For more information on respite options, visit the AOA website at www.aoa.gov, or call 202-619-0724.