Getting To Know What Respite Care Is All About

Respite services are given to families who care for a member of the family who has disabilities in order to give the primary caregiver a break. Respite care can be temporary, planned, overnight,...

Respite services are given to families who care for a member of the family who has disabilities in order to give the primary caregiver a break. Respite care can be temporary, planned, overnight, short-term, long-term, extended period, or on an emergency basis.

Respite care can be administered by various programs including affiliates or chapters of national organizations such as Easter Seals, Alzheimer’s Association, Cerebral Palsy Organization, churches, non-profit groups, or can be given by extended family members, friends, neighbors, or community volunteers.

There are different services available for respite care including in-home respite, which includes home-based services, sitter-companion services, and parent-trainer services.

Out-of-Home Respite care consists of family care homes, respite family day care, respite corporate foster home settings, residential facilities, parent coops, respitality models, and respite camps.

Respite services can be publicly funded, or have fees on a sliding scale based on income, be operated by non-profit organizations, receive donations or have other sources of funding or receive state or federal funds.

State funded respite services usually have eligibility requirements to receive respite care.

Families benefit from respite services by being able to relax, and gain peace of mind, by being able to enjoy pastimes that they otherwise would not have time to do, and also to pursue new activities. The respite care improves the family’s ability to cope with the responsibilities of caring for someone with disabilities, and preserves the family unit when it would otherwise be threatened by having the individual institutionized. Respite care also lessens the feelings of isolation because the members can become involved in community happenings thanks to the respite care. Families can take vacations that otherwise may not be possible because of the demands of caring for the individual with disabilities. The individual with disabilities can build new relationships and move toward independence through the help of respite care.

To find respite care in your community ask your doctor, church pastor, visit senior centers, and hospitals information centers. Social services will have respite care information and so will organizations such as cerebral palsy and Alzheimer’s organizations.

If your community does not have a respite program already in place there are ways to get one started. Access community need for respite care by talking with other parents and neighbors about their need for respite care. Find out if a neighboring community has respite care and ask how they got theirs started. Contact state licensing agencies to find out what is required to start a respite program. Contact all organizations, church groups and senior centers in the area to see if they would be interested in helping set up a respite program or funding one.

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