Contact your local Visiting Angel office in Prescott or Flagstaff to request more information.
If you are one of 40+ million Americans providing unpaid elder care, you understand the issues and challenges of being a primary caregiver.
What is Respite Care?
Respite care is short-term or temporary home care that provides much-needed relief or a break from a primary caregiver’s duties. Respite care helps families and primary caregivers who may need to leave briefly to work outside the home, take care of personal tasks, or manage other responsibilities.
Flexibility is one of the most significant benefits of respite care. You can usually schedule services for a few hours or overnight to a few days or longer. Professional caregivers can also perform in-home assistance routinely on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis.
You will also gain peace of mind knowing your loved one is in capable and experienced hands – even for a short time.
Respite Care Services
Visiting Angels Offices in Northern Arizona realizes the positive difference short-term help from a senior can make. Professional and dedicated caregivers will take a flexible approach in planning and scheduling services to ensure you and your loved one receive the respite care you need.
In-home respite care can include a wide range of services, including companion care and personal care. Some of the most common tasks performed include:
- Assistance with activities of daily living (such as dressing, grooming, and bathing)
- Laundry
- Light housekeeping
- Meal preparation
- Medication reminders
If your loved one requires specialized care, such as Alzheimer’s care and dementia care, professional caregivers with expertise in these areas will provide support.
Respite care can also help reduce your risk of caregiver burnout without compromising the quality of in-home support your loved one receives.
What Is Caregiver Burnout?
If you provide care for a loved one without professional assistance, you may be at high risk of physical and mental exhaustion, often referred to as “caregiver burnout.” Symptoms of caregiver burnout include:
- Feeling irritable, stressed, exhausted or isolated
- Difficulty sleeping
- Inability to keep appointments or manage responsibilities
- Lack of motivation
- Resentment toward your caregiving duties or your loved one
- Unhealthy coping behaviors, such as drug or alcohol use, overeating, or not eating enough
- Withdrawal from people and activities you used to enjoy
- In-home respite care can substantially reduce your risk of burnout and make caring for your loved one more manageable.
Get Started With Respite Care
Contact your local Visiting Angel office in Prescott or Flagstaff to request more information. A Visiting Angels’ care coordinator will provide you with a free, no-obligation home consultation to discover and determine the services you need. The care coordinator will also answer any questions you have about Respite Care for your love one.
The thing is this, if you don’t take care of you, then you can’t take care of your loved one. Respite care is much needed for the caregiver staying at home taking care of their loved one. FBN
By Cecelia Jernegan
If you want to learn more information about Respite Care call Visiting Angels offices at 928-220-4100 or go to www.visitingangels.com/Prescott or www.visitingangels.com/Flagstaff to find out more about professional caregivers helping families with Respite Care.
You can also call me directly at 928-458-4729 for other eldercare services.
Cecelia Jernegan is the director of Visiting Angels of Northern Arizona and the co-founder of Senior Referral Network, https://seniorreferralnetwork.org/.
