Give Yourself A Break In the New Year with Respite Care
As you plan for the year ahead caring for your senior loved one, remember to pencil in time to give yourself a break. You love them, and realize time may be fleeting, so you want to be with them as much as you can. As your senior loved ones get older, you’re often afraid to leave their side, fearing you might miss something important or that they might need you. But without a break once in a while, you aren’t really helping anyone. You get tired and worn out, and that means you often aren’t at your best with your senior loved one. Often, you neglect other things in your life to help your senior loved one, and that isn’t helping either. It can lead to resentment, as well as physical and mental exhaustion.
That is where respite care can help. With respite care, a trained professional home care worker can come into your senior’s home for as little or as much time as you need to offer you a much-needed break, and to watch over your senior loved one.
How Does Respite Care Work?
Maybe you could really use an hour for a cup of coffee with a friend. Respite Care workers can help give you that time. Perhaps you want to start a new workout routine in 2023, and would love to hit the 10 a.m. yoga class each morning at the gym to help relieve stress. Respite Care can help with that. If you need a weekend away to attend a wedding, go skiing or just refresh, again, respite care can help. Respite care workers can come into your home for as little or as much as you need to give you a break from the daily care of your senior loved one. Maybe you even need a break while staying home in the cold New England winters. Respite care workers can be on hand so you can pay bills, clean up, make a phone call or even take a nap. When the workers enter the home, they will follow your senior loved one’s already established care plan, to ensure they receive the best, most professional help available.
Who Will Be Caring For My Loved One?
Many home care agencies, including One Solution Home Care have trained professional caregivers on staff that offer respite care. Depending on your needs, the caregivers are trained in different areas from simple companion care to dementia care. Prior to hiring a respite care worker, you can meet with the agency and the person who will be coming into the home to ensure the needs of your senior loved one are communicated clearly, and that your expectations will be met. You can spell out specifically what you will need help with while you are away, and the agency will match you with the right employee. Before you leave each time, however, it is important to talk with the respite care worker to update them on any changes, and how your loved one is doing so that they are best prepared for the time.
Benefits to a Break
While you might think that respite care is solely for your benefit, it also can be beneficial for your senior loved one. If you are getting overwhelmed caring for them, having a short break can help avoid resentment building between the two of you, which will make you both appreciate one another more, and in the end happier together. A break can also be wonderful for renewing your energy. It can even give you a chance to focus on what is truly important – your relationship and caring for your senior loved one. Taking some time away also can give you both something new to talk about. You can tell each other what you did during your time away. Overall, a breakthrough respite care can lead to improved mental health and happiness all around.
One Solution Home Care Can Help
If you are looking for someone to help your seniors with respite care this year, One Solution Home Care can help. Our caregivers can help ensure they are well cared for and safe in their own homes while you are away. Whatever your needs are, we will try to help match them with compassionate, professional caregivers.
One Solution Home Care helps people in Massachusetts and Rhode Island live full, independent, safe and dignified lives within the comfort of their own homes. If you are ready to talk about hiring an in home caregiver, we are available to answer any questions you might have. Fill out our online form or give us a call at (508) 617-8233.