Being a primary family caregiver is rewarding, but it’s also incredibly challenging at times. It can be tricky to always be available when your senior loved one needs you, especially when you’re trying to manage your own home, juggling your own medical appointments, trying to spend time with children, or if you haven’t retired yet. You’re starting to feel a bit resentful since you can’t take breaks. Also, who could look in on your loved one if your own medical conditions or even a COVID-19 infection thwarted your efforts to help that loved one for several days — or even a couple of weeks?
When you’re overwhelmed in your primary caregiver role and need respite care in Palos Verdes, it may be time to look into respite services offered by A Peaceful Way Home Care.
What Is Respite Care
Respite is time for you as a caregiver to take a break from your caring duties for an elderly, sick, or disabled family member. Typically, respite is a temporary arrangement for someone else to assist and watch over your loved one. Respite may span from a few hours each week, to an extended weekend, or even for a vacation lasting weeks. A Peaceful Way Home Care can provide respite right in your loved one’s own home.
Why Use Respite Care?
There are a variety of ways you and your loved one could benefit from respite. It’s not selfish to admit that you’d like a few hours here and there to catch up on your own home projects or hobbies — or that you’d like to take an occasional vacation. Respite gives you a period of time to relax and step away from everyday life, especially emotionally draining situations like watching your loved one suffer with dementia.
The pandemic opened your eyes: What if you become sick? During the COVID-19 pandemic, isolating from family, friends, and the public has been difficult enough, but it’s more dire if you’re a caregiver isolating due to COVID-19. Who could help your loved one carry on with their daily activities or arrange medical transport, etc., if you’re unavailable?
The Benefits of Respite Care
According to WebMD: “The first obstacle might be admitting that you need a break. You can become so focused on caring for another person that you feel like you can’t take time to look after yourself, too. Let yourself take breaks now and then so you don’t get mentally, emotionally, and physically drained. When you come back, you’ll be able to focus more energy on your role, and that will be a boost for the person you’re caring for.”
Respite can have a variety of other positive outcomes:
- As a caregiver, respite reduces stress and allows you more sleep.
- According to ConsumerAffairs.com. “Your loved one’s life may be monotonous if they only interact with the same people in the same places. While some may enjoy this consistency, others might enjoy a change of lifestyle and seeing new things. This might even lead to them asking for more similar opportunities, meaning more opportunities for you to take a break, too.”
- A break from daily activities can help shape perspectives and provide clear solutions to problems.
At first, it may seem too overwhelming to hand over caregiving duties to someone else. When you’re looking for respite care in Palos Verdes, A Peaceful Way Home Care offers 24/7 non-medical, in-home care services your senior loved one needs. We employ experienced, conscientious, and highly trained staff with whom we’d entrust with our own family members. We’ll lend a friendly ear while assisting your loved one in their home with many tasks like managing transport to medical appointments and housekeeping.
Please contact us for a free in-home assessment and start your respite soon.