Respite Care Can Help Bring Peace of Mind
The struggle is real. The holidays come, and you can’t help but want to enjoy all of the things you love about them. But this year, you may also be caring for a senior loved one. And because of physical and/or mental decline over the past year, they can’t do all of the things they have loved doing each Christmas past. That means the job falls on you - not only to get all of your stuff done, but to do theirs as well, and to take care of them. You need to keep them safe and take on some of the tasks they no longer can do, such as paying their bills, wrapping their gifts, and helping them get dressed each morning. When it all adds up, it can be too much. And it can take away much of the enjoyment of the holidays, and increase the stress.
That is where respite care can help. With respite care, a trained professional can give you temporary help with your senior loved one so you can have peace of mind when it comes to caring for them, and also enjoy the best time of the year even more. With respite care, you can get a break for an hour, a day, or even a weekend to refresh, take care of things you need to do, and come back with a renewed spirit.
What Is Respite Care?
With respite care, a trained professional comes into your senior loved one’s home to help care for them and meet their needs, giving you short-term relief on your caregiving journey. Many home care agencies, including Visiting Angels Cape Coral, offer this relief in the form of respite care.
Respite care can take on many forms. Caregivers can be on hand for companionship for an hour or two, they can help watch over dementia clients for an evening, or they can even help with personal care while the primary caregiver takes a nap or runs an important holiday errand. The services can be offered for an hour or two at a time, for one day each week, or even for an extended period of time on a temporary basis. They are meant to give primary caregivers a break.
A Chance To Enjoy The Season
Often caregivers feel guilt when their loved one is sick or needs constant care. They feel they should be caring for them non-stop instead of being out and about enjoying life. But living like that can take its toll. When the life you used to have is now often consumed by caring for your senior loved one, you lose a part of yourself. Often you stop seeing friends or doing things that you used to love. Living like that can build resentment toward your senior loved one, and can impact you physically and emotionally. Having a respite care worker on hand to give you some semblance of normalcy can help.
A respite care worker can help you enjoy some of the things you love about the holidays while letting you feel peace of mind that your senior loved one is well-cared for. If you want to head to Miromar Outlets to pick up last-minute gifts, you can feel relief knowing a professionally-trained respite care worker is with your senior loved one. If you meet your friend every year before Christmas to catch up over coffee, and you still want to grab a peppermint mocha with her this year at Urban Buzz, you can feel comfortable taking some time away from your senior loved one knowing a respite care worker is there to help. Having a respite care worker can give you a sense of normalcy, and help you focus - even for a little bit - on your other roles in life besides being a caregiver for your senior loved one.
Improving Relationships
Believe it or not, some time away from your senior loved one can do you both some good. Often you get so caught up in being a caregiver and ensuring your senior is ok, that it is easy to lose sight of the relationship you used to have. It is easy to get frustrated or annoyed if you’re constantly hounding them about taking their medicine or not doing things that might lead to a fall. If you’ve heard the same story over and over, you might be short with them and not pay full attention when they bring it up again. But spending a little time away to refresh can help that relationship. Having a respite care worker relieve you as the primary caregiver, even for a short time, can help you focus on what is truly important. It can help you focus on your relationship with your loved one. It can even give your senior loved one someone new to tell their stories to. And taking a short break away can give you something new to talk to your senior loved one about.
Visiting Angels Can Help
If you are looking for someone to help with your senior loved one this holiday season, our caregivers at Visiting Angels. We serve seniors in Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, and the surrounding areas. We provide a variety of home care services, including companion care, respite care, fall prevention services, and a safe and steady program.
We will come to your home for a free visit to find out what needs you have, and develop a care plan tailored to your needs. Call us at (239) 226-1620 for more information or find us online.