By: Kenneth E. Strong, Jr.
Respite is pronounced (Res-pit) and it simply means a period of rest.
More often than not we in the healthcare professions tend to over complicate the terms we use to describe our services and procedures. The trick for the rest of us is to discover what these unusual words mean and how they can help us solve our problem. So why not simplify these terms and concepts and relate them to our daily life.
You know what a vacation, holiday or get away weekend is, that’s how you should think about Respite Care.
Caring for an elderly spouse or parent is demanding, physically, financially and emotionally. Caregiving also creates a tremendous strain on families bringing up young families while caring for aging parents especially for the primary caregiver, usually the adult daughter. Using respite care you’ll never have to go it alone.
Close to eighty percent of all long term care is provided at home by family members who take great pride in providing care to their loved one.
But At What Cost?
Recently the Commonwealth Fund study found that elderly spousal caregivers aged sixty six to ninety nine reported care giving stress, have a sixty-three percent higher mortality rate than the non caregivers of the same age.
The National Family Caregivers Association reported caregivers had twenty-seven percent more headaches, twenty-four percent reported more stomach disorders, forty-one percent more back pain, fifty-one percent more sleeplessness and sixty-one percent, more depression.
On The Other Hand:
Sixty-four percent of caregivers of the elderly receiving four hours of respite care per week, after one year, reported improved physical health. Seventy-eight percent reported improved emotional health and fifty percent reported improvement in the elderly family member’s health. Respite Care provides the needed temporary break from the exhausting challenges and demands faced by the family caregiver.
What are the types of Respite Care?
In home care is provided with the support of companion services, homemaker services, personal care or skilled care to give medication, treatments and supervise activities.
Residential care is provided in an Assisted Living Community or in a Skilled Nursing Facility. The length of stay may be from a few days to a full year.
Adult Day Care provides assistance during the day so you can go to work, run errands, visit friends or just relax. Staff led activities, transportation and meals are often provided.
Gathering Information About Respite Care:
Researching providers in your local area is time consuming and hard work. The sooner you start your search the better chance you have of finding the best possible Respite Care provider. Once you have completed the information gathering it’s time to start visiting or interviewing Respite Care providers.
Now your work really begins, finding the right provider to care for your family member. There are five important life skills required to begin the assessment of a great Respite Care provider. They are skills you already have. Everyone knows what clean looks and smells like. Everyone knows what good food looks, smells and tastes like. Everyone knows how friendly, courteous, and caring people act.
When you visit with a Respite Care provider use all five senses, sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Don’t forget your sixth sense, your gut feeling or instinct. You should walk away from your visit saying, I like this place or that provider, I believe my loved one would be happy and well cared for here or with that provider. Please make sure your loved one participates in the decision as much as possible.
After each interview or visit take out a notepad and write down your impressions about each Respite Care provider. Draw a line down the middle of the page and on the left side put a plus sign and on the right side put a minus. Now list your observations accordingly. Narrow your list down to three. Compare your observations to the provider’s brochures. Give each provider a score of one to ten, the best score being ten.
Now this may seem like a lot of information to take in, but it’s not. You use your observation skills in every situation you encounter on a daily basis. If you have sight you are observing. You may not always be aware of it, but you are.
Finally, use your natural observation skills and trust your instincts. Above all, ask questions. Don’t take anything for granted.