Finding Local Respite Care Services Near You

Taking care of yourself after a major surgery or illness is sometimes not possible. Taking care of a loved one who needs daily medical treatment or other serious and constant attention becomes potentially draining. In spite of all your best efforts and intentions there are times the healthiest choice for you and/or your loved one is to acknowledge you need a temporary reprieve. This is when finding local respite care services near you becomes a top priority.

What is respite care? Are there particular benefits respite care provides to seniors? Is respite care affordable in 2021? Read ahead for crucial information and current tips on understanding respite care and how to find local respite services near you.

Understanding Respite Care

It is not always possible to take care of yourself in a safe and healthy way while recovering from a major surgery or serious illness. Perhaps it is your elderly or otherwise disabled loved one in need of constant medical care and daily assistance. Putting forth your best efforts is a choice you make naturally every day. Having the best intentions does not always equate to having the best results, however, and some times a healthy reprieve from care duties is needed. It is at this point when finding the best local respite care service near you becomes the main priority.

Respite care facility services provide temporary stays for people in need of near-constant medical or rehabilitative care on a daily basis. Stays last a day to one week to many months and longer depending on needs and other qualifying factors. Not everyone in respite care is in need of serious medical attention, however. Some senior citizens use short respite care stays as test runs to ascertain their feelings about eventually moving into a long-term assisted living facility. Understanding respite care and the different types of associated services available is an important part of finding the best local facility matching both your budget and needs. 

Types of Respite Care Services Available

While the overall concept of respite care remains the same there are different elements to the types of care services available. Understanding these different elements helps find the best local respite care services for your needs. As a family member and caregiver of a loved one there are many aspects of your personal life affected by your caregiving responsibilities. This is especially true if you are also working another job, have to go out of town for an emergency or simply need a vacation. Temporary respite care services allow your loved one to be carefully looked after while you do what you need to for yourself. What other types of respite care services are available?

Adult daycare services allow your loved one to be dropped off and picked up over varied albeit preplanned periods of time as applicable. For example, some adult daycare respite facilities have programs lasting only a few hours each day. This is ideal for family caregivers needing just a small break several times a week to handle personal business. Other adult daycare respite services allow overnight stays or stays for 1-2 weeks. Many also provide transportation when required. While adult daycare respite services are planned/scheduled in advance, emergency respite care is available for sudden unexpected situations. For example, perhaps you become suddenly sick or have to quickly leave town for a family death or surprise work assignment. Emergency respite programs provide similar caregiving services as do other respite care programs. Respite care for emergencies simply does so on short or some times even no notice.

All respite care involves either in-home or in-facility services. Companion care and personal care assistant services are both in-home services. Meal preparation, laundry, grocery shopping, bathing, dressing and help with medications are all involved. In-facility respite care often involves assisted living homes. Some involve more serious medical-based caregiving and others involve a more casual environment pending needs. Additional types of respite care services available include:

  • Foster home respite care for minors.

  • Hospital based.

  • Respite camps.

  • Long-term residential facilities.

  • Respitality care as founded by United Cerebral Palsy of America (UCP).

  • Hospice.

  • Respite camps.

Average Cost of Respite Care

Determining the specific cost of respite care is dependent upon your location, your needs the length of the stay and depth of services provided. Medicare and Medicaid generally do not pay for the costs of respite care. This means the expenses must be handled out-of-pocket, through high-end personal insurance or some form of financing. The average cost of respite care is capable of being broken down into daily, weekly, monthly or annual costs, however. Daily in-home respite care averages under $150 a day in many situations. Daily in-facility respite care involving medical services averages below and above $250 a day depending on the type of room being booked.

Average monthly costs of in-home care without medical services are just under $4,000 per month and just over $4,000 when medical services are required. Monthly averages for assisted living home respite care are approximately $3,750, while skilled nursing facilities are capable of costing $7,000 to $8,000 per month. The annual averages of respite care range widely from approximately $50,000 to just under $100,000 per year depending on the circumstances. Weekly averages also vary per situation. Additional costs/fees might apply on a case-by-case basis as well. 

Benefits of Respite Care for Seniors

Respite care benefits seniors and their families in unique ways. The primary goals of senior caregiving are to keep your loved one(s) safe, happy and healthy. Many seniors feel guilty for needing care from a family member. Family caregiving members sometimes become tired or burnt out. Respite care allows for temporary breaks, keeping tension at a minimum and relationships healthy and functional. Respite care also gives seniors a chance to be active amongst people their own age in various group settings. The social benefits help reenergize, relax and comfort most seniors.

Peace of mind is a huge benefit of respite care for seniors. Knowing a trained professional is on staff and duty 24/7 to take care of any needs or situations is both comforting and reliving for the elderly. This is especially true when recovering from a major surgery or illness and worried about your health. Finally, seniors exploring the idea of moving permanently into a retirement or group-based assisted living facility get the benefit of knowing what is it like prior to deciding on a final commitment. Temporary respite care in warmer, drier or generally more pleasant climates also provides a vacation-like atmosphere for seniors needing an entertaining albeit safe getaway.

Search Tips for Finding Local Respite Care Services

Searching online for local respite care services near you requires some knowledge of how to sort through numerous ads and options to discover your actual best options. Being at the top of a search results list is not an indication of the quality of service a respite facility provides. It is best to use more officially trusted resources and/or government sites to conduct your search. The National Respite Network and Resource Center (ARCH) is one such site. ARCH provides multiple viable resources for finding local respite care services. Additional credible sources for locating the best respite care near you, including religious and Veterans-based options, are:


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