Respite care is an opportunity for you to turn over the reins to another caregiver for a little while. When you take regular respite time for yourself, you can experience huge benefits and you can come back to caregiving with a much better frame of mind.
You Need a Break
Being a family caregiver is difficult both physically and emotionally. If you’re not giving yourself regular breaks to be able to rest and to recharge yourself, that’s going to take a toll on you. You might worry that taking breaks makes you a bad or irresponsible family caregiver, but the reverse is actually true. When you’re taking breaks, you’re better able to be present for your senior.
You’ve Got Other Obligations
As much as you might want to be there for every single need your senior has, most family caregivers have many obligations. You may be juggling your own family, a career, and sometimes even caring for another aging family member. That’s a lot for one person to be managing. Having a caregiver on whom you can rely is huge. None of this means that you don’t want to be there for your senior. It means that you’re doing everything that you can to make sure that she has her needs met.
An Experienced Caregiver Can Provide Extra Help
When your senior is facing big health changes, that can mean that her needs have outgrown what you can do for her. Having an experienced caregiver giving your senior that help that you can’t is a lifesaver, sometimes literally. This lets you focus on what you can do for your elderly family member instead of experiencing guilt over what you can’t do for her.
Offering Greater Social Engagement for Your Senior
If your elderly family member isn’t getting much social engagement, spending time with a caregiver can be tremendously helpful. Everyone has different social needs, and that’s something that you and your senior can talk about together as you plan out solutions for her social needs. Being able to socialize with someone besides you can be good for your senior’s mental health.
Still feeling reluctant about respite care? Some family caregivers find that giving respite care a trial run is helpful. It gives both you and your elderly family member a chance to try it out and to see how it works for her and for you. It’s always good to know that it’s an option, even if you’re only using it periodically.