Family Caregivers & Respite Care
How Family Caregivers Can Prepare for Respite Care
Respite care can be a blessing for family caregivers. It allows them to take much-needed breaks from their caregiving responsibilities by hiring a professional home care provider for a short amount of time. To ensure that your loved one is getting the best possible care during your absence, there are a few steps you need to take to prepare your replacement for what to expect and what type of care the elder will need. To ensure you are ready for your break, here are some tips that will help guarantee the home care provider is able to provide the same quality care that you would also provide.
- Place all documents in one place. Place all insurance papers, medication lists, medical records, doctors, and emergency contact phone numbers in one easy-to-find location of the house. Make sure the caregiver knows where it is in case they need it for an upcoming doctor appointment or other event.
- Have you thought about the worst case scenarios? Visualize possible scenarios that could occur without you caring for the elder’s. Do you have a plan for these situations? Does the home care provider have your phone number in case of emergency? It is critical that you come up with some sort of plan for the worst case scenarios when it comes to your loved one’s care.
- Leave a schedule. Although you may not be providing care for the elder, it is important that they stick to the schedule you both created. Leave a copy of this routine so that the substitute caregiver can also stick to it. It should include a list of favorite foods and those that should be avoided, medication times, when they should wake up and go to bed, and any other information the elder care provider should know.
- Relax. This is a difficult thing for many family caregivers to do, but is necessary so that you can enjoy your time off. Trust that the home care provider is offering the same quality of care that you are and that nothing is going wrong. It might take some time to learn to relax, but you will need to.
- Try it out. If you are nervous about letting someone else take over for you, test it out. Allow the substitute to watch your loved one for a few hours, while you run errands or just take a break. If you are happy with the job the caregiver did, you can give them more responsibilities, allowing you to take longer breaks.
Respite care is still a new practice to many family caregivers, but you will be happy you had that option when you are in need of a little vacation. These tips will ensure the caregiver can also provide the best care for your loved one.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Covington, GA or the surrounding areas, contact the caring staff at Right At Home of East Atlanta. Call today (678) 712-4002.
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