In-home respite care is a service that sends a professional caregiver to your loved one’s home to take care of him or her while you take a break. When you’re considering the need for this type of care, it’s normal to want to know the drawbacks so you can weigh them against the benefits. Learning more about respite care and its advantages and potential disadvantages allows you to make the right decisions for your family.
Making Life Easier with Home Care Services
The first thing you need to know is that home care involves a broad range of services. You can arrange for someone to drop in and provide companionship during your time away, which may involve a caregiver sharing a meal with your loved one or spending time doing your loved one’s favorite hobbies. Companions can also play music and encourage older adults to engage in conversation. You can also arrange for a caregiver to do some light housekeeping or food prep while you take a break. Being able to return to your duties with a dreaded chore done and a happier loved one makes life better.
There are a variety of age-related health conditions that can make it more challenging for seniors to live independently. However, many of the challenges they face can be easier to manage if their families opt for professional home care. You can rely on expertly trained caregivers to keep your loved one safe and comfortable while aging in place.
Overcoming Guilt About Taking a Break
One of the main drawbacks caregivers describe about respite care is that they sometimes feel guilty about taking time away from their loved ones. However, this guilt will be short-lived once you begin to see how respite care strengthens the relationship you have with your loved one. Regular breaks can prevent burnout, and you may need to use respite care to go to the doctor or get a dental exam. When you think about the necessary things you can get done with the aid of a professional caregiver, it quickly becomes clear there’s nothing to feel guilty about.
Family caregivers need to care for their own wellbeing. If you’re caring for an aging loved one and are feeling overwhelmed, consider hiring a professional caregiver to provide respite care. Huntsville families who want to prevent burnout can turn to Home Care Assistance. One of our professional caregivers can assist your loved one at home while you take a nap, go to work, run errands, or go on vacation.
Getting to Know a New Caregiver
Some caregivers also worry about how their loved ones will respond to getting to know someone new. You may be concerned about your loved one’s ability to adapt to a professional caregiver visiting if he or she has social anxiety or Alzheimer’s disease. Fortunately, professional caregivers are adept at handling seniors with all kinds of personality types. In fact, they go through training that teaches them how to be compassionate and treat seniors with dignity. After one or two visits, most seniors warm up to their caregivers and start looking forward to the days they come over. If you’re still worried, you can stick around for the first visit or two and gradually increase your time away from your loved one’s home.
Discovering the Benefits of Better Physical and Mental Health
There really aren’t many disadvantages to respite care. Although you may have a few concerns, such as how your loved one will handle being around someone new, those are easily addressed. Now that you understand how respite care works, you can choose to enjoy the benefits, such as being able to feel relaxed and healthy as you perform your duties.
Although it may be challenging to find reliable, highly rated home care services, Huntsville, AL, families can turn to Home Care Assistance. Our respite and live-in caregivers are expertly trained to assist seniors with a wide array of important tasks, including cooking, bathing, light housekeeping, and exercise. Call one of our dedicated Care Managers today at (256) 716-9940 to learn about the high quality of our in-home care services.