Approximately 11% of people in Australia provide informal care for loved ones.[1] This is an essential service that supports people who are older, or need care for other reasons, in our society. However, being the carer for another person can be highly demanding. Carers often juggle these responsibilities with work, family, and other household demands. This can result in family caregivers becoming burnt out, which is not good for the carer or the person they care for. At Home Care Assistance, we understand that even if you wish to care for your loved one yourself, you may need a break occasionally. We have put together this blog for family caregivers, which outlines why respite care may be helpful and how Home Care Assistance can provide it.
The Demands on Family Caregivers
Caring for a loved one is a demanding task. It is often physically demanding if your loved one needs help with tasks such as dressing, bathing, getting in and out of a bed or chair, or managing medications. Doing physically demanding tasks not only becomes tiring for the caregiver, but doing too much for too long can result in injury.
Caring for a loved one over an extended period also has an emotional and mental cost. It takes mental and emotional energy to support another person, particularly as their life changes and they lose their independence. Being exposed to emotional and mental stress without breaks can lead to caregiver burnout.
You may want to be the person caring for your loved one, but time constraints mean this is only sometimes possible. Maybe you need a break away for your own family for a while. Or maybe there is a different demand on your time for a couple of weeks, meaning you cannot do everything.
Understanding Respite Care
Respite care is care provided for a period of time. It might be a day, a weekend, a week, or a month—whatever you need. At Home Care Assistance, we offer home care, which means your loved one can stay in their environment while they receive the care they need from one of our Care Professionals.
It is possible to arrange respite care as a one-off event or as a regular type of care. You may, for example, want to arrange respite care for your loved one for one weekend a month so you can have a break, or you might be going on a holiday and need some care for your loved one during that time.
How Home Care Provides Respite
Whatever your need, home respite care provides flexible care scheduling for your loved one so you can take a break, whether due to other demands or to recharge yourself. Everyone needs a break periodically, but it is much easier to take it when you can be assured your loved one is well cared for.
Arranging respite care through a specialist provider such as Home Care Assistance also gives you peace of mind that your loved one is in the hands of a trained professional. We also manage any last-minute absences by Care Professionals and arrange a replacement.
Home respite care can be tailored to your loved one’s needs. The care provided can be adjusted to suit which tasks your loved one needs assistance with and whether they need care full-time or just a few hours a day. We can incorporate existing routines into the patient’s care plan to minimise the disruption for them. Many people we care for even enjoy the extra social contact of having a Care Professional looking after them for a while.
Benefits of Respite for Family Caregivers
There are many benefits of respite for family caregivers. A key benefit is the opportunity for the caregiver to rest and recharge so they can have a physical and mental break from their caring responsibilities. This helps to maintain the caregiver’s health so they can continue to care for their loved ones.
If caregivers are not burnt out or stressed, they are better positioned to provide more care to their loved ones. So, by taking a break, a carer can improve the care they can provide on an ongoing basis.
Respite care for a loved one also allows the caregiver to put time into other relationships, hobbies, and social activities, strengthening their relationships with family and friends.
How to Access Home Care Respite Services
Access to home care through a specialist service such as Home Care Assistance means you can be assured that the staff who come into your loved one’s home will be appropriately trained and vetted. You also know that Home Care Assistance will handle any last-minute scheduling issues for staff, so you can relax knowing your loved one is cared for. This way, you can get a break from your caring responsibilities. By utilising respite care and taking a break to look after yourself, you are better positioned to care for your loved one in the longer term.
Support at home from a specialist provider, such as Home Care Assistance, can bring enormous benefits and comfort to your quality of life while living independently. Home Care Assistance has viable solutions for supporting independent living. For more information, contact a Home Care Assistance near me today.
[1] https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/informal-carers#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20latest%20Australian,in%20Australia%20(ABS%202019)
