If you are caring for someone who needs assistance with activities of daily living, you know all too well how much time and attention this requires. Often, the person receiving care is completely dependent on caregivers for all of their needs, from personal hygiene to eating to avoiding falls. It can become a 24/7 commitment, and if you’re lucky enough to have multiple family caregivers involved, coordinating care between all of them sometimes can be a challenge.
Even breaking care needs into shifts may be exhausting. Add other demands such as a job and children, and you can quickly be overwhelmed- and unable to take a break.
Respite Care Explained
You may have heard the term “respite” before. Respite care is simply a temporary break provided by a fill-in caregiver, that allows you to step away from your responsibilities as a caregiver. This can be for a few short hours so you can tend to other commitments. Or, it can cover a few days, such as vacation.
This care can be personalized to your loved one’s needs. It includes help with daily tasks like preventing falls, meal preparation, and feeding if necessary. It also can involve providing personal hygiene such as bathing and bathroom assistance, help with dressing, and more.
Respite care can be regularly scheduled for a few hours a week, or it can be once every few weeks or months. It’s really about designing a plan that works best to fill in care gaps you might have, and give you a chance to recharge.
This type of care can be given at home, through a healthcare facility, or at an adult day center.
The surprising thing is that respite care is very commonly overlooked. An American Association of Retired Persons/National Alliance for Caregiving (AARP/NAC) study found that only 14% of family caregivers seek respite care to help them meet care needs, even though 38% felt it would be of benefit.1
Covering the Cost
One of the reasons respite services are not used frequently may be that quite often, they are not covered by insurance. Navigating the use of these services can be intimidating. There are options, however.
Federal funding
In some cases, Medicare or Medicaid programs help cover the cost of respite care. State-level programs such as PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), offered through Medicare, can also help with this. Because benefits and eligibility can
change and programs vary between states, checking with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a good place to start for information.
You can also check with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) if your family member is eligible for veterans’ benefits, as there may be related programs that provide care at home.
Free or Low-Cost Programs
There are non-profit and government agencies that offer free or low-cost respite care. These include groups such as Senior Corps, which has a program that matches volunteers to seniors living at home; Elder Helpers, a free online service that matches volunteers to older people who need help, and faith-based organizations, both at a national level and through your local church.
Long Term Care Insurance
If your loved one qualifies, this additional insurance product can offer benefits for nursing home care and in-home care depending on the policy. You’ll want to weigh the cost of the policy against the need for paid care services, but you may find this is a manageable way to reduce the cost of care or spread it out over time. According to the 2022 Long-Term Care Insurance Price Index, the annual cost for a policy that provides $165,000 in benefits for a 55-year-old averages $950-$1,500 depending on gender.2 (This increases with age.)
Private Pay
Because respite care doesn’t need to be a regular recurring expense, paying out of pocket for occasional help may be affordable for some people. In 2021, the daily rates for a home health aide averaged $169 nationally, and for adult day health care the average was $78 per day.3 This may be an option more regularly if income or savings allows. Each individual’s financial situation will vary.
Benefits of Respite Care
Because caregiver burnout is a very real problem for caregivers when they can’t take a break, respite creates many benefits for caregivers:
- Time alone to do the things they enjoy
- The ability for caregivers who haven’t been able to leave their loved ones to have social interaction outside of caring for a loved one
- Freedom to tend to important tasks without interruption
- Opportunities for self-care, such as rest
- Improved health
- More overall balance in life
- Emergency coverage for sick caregivers
A Final Word About Professional Caregivers
If you’ve opted to use a home care service or agency to bring in professional caregivers for respite care, it’s good to know a few things about their care. You’ll want to see that they can work with you to write up a clear plan of care for your loved one. They also should be able to describe how they screen and employ only the best, most experienced caregivers. Can they provide references? And what is the cost for the services they provide?
If you’re looking for a professional home care service to provide respite care, Caresify can help you set up respite care to meet your specific needs. Our professional caregivers provide peace of mind and person-centered care for your loved one so you can take a much-deserved break. Visit our homepage to learn more about us, or contact us at 888-799-5007.
References
1.https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/life-balance/info-2019/caregiver-stress-burnout.html?intcmp=AE-CAR-CLB-IL
2.https://www.aaltci.org/news/long-term-care-insurance-association-news/2022-price-in dex-for-long-term-care-insurance
3. https://www.genworth.com/aging-and-you/finances/cost-of-care.html
Photo by Eduardo Barrios on Unsplash
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