senior mom with daughter

4 Thoughtful Ways to Use Respite Care From a Private Duty Caregiver Team

Take Advantage Of Private Duty Care For You and Your Loved One’s Benefit

Respite care provides a necessary break for family caregivers. Those who take care of a loved one need time to focus on other responsibilities or take some time away from their caregiving duties, but still need someone to care for their loved one.

Exceptional private duty caregivers are available in your community to provide this service. A family caregiver can get respite care for as little as two hours per day or as much as 24-hour care.

A private duty caregiver can help your loved one with tasks of daily living, while they relieve you for the time being, including:

  • Meal planning and preparation.
  • Grooming and personal hygiene.
  • Pet care.
  • Medication reminders.
  • Companionship.
  • Transportation for social outings and appointments.
  • And more.

Create a Plan For How to Use Respite Care

As a family caregiver, you have a lot on your plate, and respite care can help you make time for it.

Consider these approaches to scheduling respite care with help from an agency that offers private duty care near you:

  1. Take an allotted amount of time to rest and recharge.
  2. Create a schedule for essential times of day when you aren’t available.
  3. Create a customized schedule.
  4. Use respite care as needed.

Private duty care isn’t typically covered by insurance. Family caregivers pay out of pocket for private duty caregiving services. Therefore, you likely want to choose a thoughtful way to use respite care services, so you can fully take advantage of them.

Schedule Your Own Break Time

All family caregivers need a break. Research on family caregiving shows that those who use respite care return to their caregiving duties with far more empathy, compassion, and energy.

Consider planning a vacation for a specific period of time. Choose somewhere you can relax and get away from your day-to-day routine. A private duty caregiver can fill in for you for a full 24 hours each day while you are away.

Although it’s up to you to decide how you take a vacation, some people have difficulty slowing down, especially when transitioning from a challenging period of time to a vacation. Your time is up to you, but we recommend using your vacation for as much rest as possible, so you can see your role as a family caregiver with new eyes and return to your loved one’s side refreshed.

Block Your Calendar to Knock Out a Core List Of Tasks

If a vacation isn’t your preference, you can also consider using a block of days to get back to tasks that you’ve been neglecting in your own life.

Whether you need time for yard work, household repairs, family events, or any other lingering items on your to-do list, respite care through a home private duty caregiver can help.

Fill the Gaps With Private Duty Care

Does your loved one have a standing social or medical appointment at a certain time each week? Are you unavailable in the mornings, due to work meetings? Do dinner and evening hours make you feel like you’re being pulled in multiple directions?

You can use private duty care during specific times of day for as little as two hours at a time. Work with a trusted agency to create a schedule that makes sense, so that you can get your needs met and ensure that your loved one is being taken care of, too.

Make a Schedule Of Your Choice With Private Duty Care

If you’re able, an alternating schedule may work best for you. You could potentially schedule respite care for three days a week, while you cover the other four. You could have private duty caregivers come to the house for eight hours on a Friday, so you can take a break before the weekend. However, you want to mix and match, a strong private duty caregiver team will have the resources available to ensure your loved one receives the care they need.

Utilize respite care in a way that makes sense for you. This service is available and flexible and is meant to be an alternative to trying to keep everything running all by yourself.

Use Respite Care Whenever It’s Necessary

A reliable, talented team for private duty care near you is available to you at a moment’s notice. You may decide that what works best for you is to reach a point where you require a break, and reach out for private duty care at that time.

For example, some family caregivers take a day off every couple of weeks. Others request private duty care when a conflict comes up, and they require support at the last minute.

Private Duty Caregiving Is a Versatile, Useful Tool For Family Caregivers

No matter how you decide to use private duty care for your loved one, it is important to know that respite care is available through this service to meet your caregiver needs.

Family caregivers often feel a burden lifted off their shoulders just knowing that this resource is available, even before they’ve used it. When they do get respite care, their burden is lessened even more.

There’s no reason to push forward with family caregiving, even when you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and neglecting your own health.

Take care of yourself with respite care through private duty care, so you can provide the love and care your loved one deserves.

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