Respite Care Services Give Caregivers a Break

Who will watch over Grandmom (or your parents) when you are invited out of town for a special event or a long-overdue vacation? There are companies (including CareLinx) that can come to the rescue and provide the back-up relief -- or respite care -- you need. Caregivers need breaks Caring for an older adult with Alzheimer's, for example, is an incredibly demanding job. That’s why taking regular breaks is so important for helping family caregivers sustain caregiving over a long period of time. Using respite care to take breaks gives you a chance to recharge and helps you take care of your own health, preventing the serious negative health effects that caregiving can cause. What is respite care? Respite care is when family caregivers get a break from caring for their older adult. These short-term caregiving services can take place in the home or at an assisted living or skilled nursing facility. For example, you might need to use respite care if you’re feeling completely burned out and desperately need a break or if you have a health issue of your own that you need to take care of. ARCH National Respite Network The ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center has a National Respite Locator which helps you find local respite services in the U.S. and Canada. Go to the National Respite Locator page and click the U.S. state or Canadian province you’re interested in. Next, you’ll see the Respite Locator Search page for that location. To get the most useful search results, fill in the all fields we’ve outlined in the image below:

• State
• Age
• Distance from your location
• City
• Zip code
• Country
• State/province

Fill out these fields and click “Search” to find respite services near you

After filling out the form, click the Search button to get a list of respite care services in your area. Click View to see details about each service or Map to see where it is.

Respite care services within 25 miles of San Mateo, CA

The Respite Locator Search isn’t perfect. For example, a service for children was accidentally included in our search results. Even though there may be minor issues, this locator is still very helpful because it makes it easy to get a list of local places to call for more information. Programs that help pay for respite care ARCH also helps you search for programs that help pay for respite care in your state (sorry, not available for Canada). Go to the Respite Funding search page, then click on your state. The next page you’ll see includes information about Finding Respite Providers or Programs, Respite Funding and Eligibility, and Additional Resources. Bottom line Caregiving is tough. Nobody can keep going forever without a break. Protecting your health (and sanity!) means taking regular breaks. Using respite care is a great way to get help with caregiving, especially if you don’t have family or friends you can rely on. It helps you keep your senior at home longer while protecting you from the serious health consequences of being constantly burdened by caregiving responsibilities. Next Step>Find respite care services in your area By Connie Chow, Contributing Writer and Founder of DailyCaringImage: Winfield Senior Living Community