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• Benefits of Using Respite Care
  The duties of caring for someone with dementia can be all consuming and involve physical care, along with a constant monitoring of what the individual is doing. The strain of caring for someone with dementia often leaves little time for the caregiver to do personal needs, they also have less free time to spend with other family members, or to attend to their own personal, physical, mental or emotional health needs. The benefits of respite care addresses all of the above issues. Respite care allows the caregiver to have time away from their all-consuming duties so that they can attend to other areas of their life such as employment, relationship needs, personal needs, healthcare, or to take a vacation and recharge their mind, body and emotions.
  
  
• Making Sure Your Respite Care is Quality Care
  Are family members who have used the respite care asked to fill out feedback forms? If feedback forms are available from past respite families ask to see and read these forms so you can know what past clients think about the quality of respite care given. Ask if the individuals giving respite care are bonded or insured? Are there references available that you can check? Are those giving respite care familiar with the condition that your loved one has? Have they cared for individuals with this condition before? When are the respite services available? Is there a back-up plan in case the individual who is supposed to be doing the respite care gets sick or for other reasons is unable to do the respite care?
  
  
• Respite Care Benefits the Caregiver and the Loved One
  Respite care can give the caregiver the opportunity to attend church, have a pedicure, go shopping, or go to a medical appointment. Respite gives the caregiver a break to attend to personal matters, to re-connect with other loved ones and to spend time away from the responsibilities of care giving that allow the caregiver to be renewed and re-energized. The caregiver can go out to eat or to see a movie, take a much-needed nap, or visit friends and family members. There are obvious benefits for the caregiver who receives respite care.
  
  
• Respite Care Specifics
  Respite care can also be long-term in a group home, nursing home, or other facility set up for respite care. This is usually used for when the caregiver needs a longer break due to mental or physical stress or when they go on vacation. Sometimes when long-term respite care is necessary you can find a live-in caregiver who is willing to come to the home to care while the regular caregiver is gone for an extended time. If there are no high-level care needs and the individual is mobile, it may be an option to use a day care program. Day care programs are perfect for those who need companionship or light supervision. Day care programs allows for socialization as well as for respite care.
  
  
• Respite Care When A Child Is Involved
  As the child ages some of the respite care is given in order to assist the child in building skills that will be needed for independent living. This respite care may take place in a group home, or another organized program in a supported environment. Whenever a parent leaves a child in the care of another in order for the respite to bring about peace and relaxation the parent needs to be comfortable with the respite care workers and to trust that the child will receive quality care in the parent's absence.
  
  
• The Special Needs Child and Respite Care
  Each child has a unique set of circumstances that varies from other children and these individual needs will dictate the type of respite care that will be appropriate. Some children have extensive medical needs that will limit the type of respite care to those services that are capable of meeting the medical needs of the child. Other children do well in day care centers, or other respite programs. The parents can receive advise from the pediatrician as to what respite services are appropriate in their community.
  
  
• Types of Respite Care
  In-home respite care is usually for the elderly impaired individual who just needs companionship, or homemaker services (housekeeping, meal preparation, or shopping services), personal care such as help with bathing, getting dressed, help with exercising, or going to the bathroom and lastly skilled care services such as a visiting nurse who administers medications or takes blood glucose or blood pressure readings.
  
  
• Understanding What Respite Care Is
  Caregivers need respite care in order to relieve the stress that they face in their role as caregiver. Burnout is a real possibility. The symptoms of caregiver burnout are persistent symptoms of depression, a constant state of anxiety, irritability, or anger, feelings of detachment, or exhaustion, or being in a constant state of self-criticism. They can also experience withdrawal from their usual activities, a neglect of caregiving responsibilities, trouble with relationships and also engage in substance abuse in a ploy to deal with burnout.
  
  
• What Respite Care Is Available and How Do You Know What Is Right For You
  If using a professional respite care facility you will want to conduct an interview to access the environment, the staff, the planned activities, programs, transportation, meals and the training provided for the staff. You can access the information about these things by asking questions such as: What are the service hours, fees and provided services?
  
  
• What Your Respite Care Should Be Like
  When meeting the needs of a child, the respite care should have the objective of caring the for developmental disabilities by meeting the unique challenges of the individual child. The environment whether this is in the child's home or in a day care center should be interactive, stimulating and safe. It should address the physical, emotional, mental and social needs of the individual child.