Respite is an unfamiliar word to many family caregivers who are caring for an elderly parent, spouse or other loved one at home. Respite means taking a much needed “rest or relief” from the constant, continued supervision, companionship, or personal care of a functionally impaired older individual for a period of time.
At least 85 percent of the nation’s 43 million family caregivers do not use respite, perhaps because challenges and barriers for respite are many. Some reasons why family caregivers don’t seek help, relates to cost, limited options, too few well-trained providers, not knowing where to go to ask for help, reluctance, and guilt of leaving their loved one alone.
As Miami’s elderly population, ages 80 and over, sand grows more frail, family caregivers are having to step- ‐in to help with their care.
Their adult children, spouses and relatives are usually providing anywhere upwards of 20 hours a week of care. The degree of care and support varies from helping mom or dad with grocery shopping, running errands, taking them to doctor’s appointments and checking up on them after work hours. The levels of stress that family caregivers face is compounded when they are juggling work, children and other personal responsibilities, hence they are called the sandwich generation.
Elders who are suffering from a physical or mental illness such as dementia, Alzheimer’s or other neurological disorders, often require a more intense level of care that can contribute to caregiver burnout. Guadalupe Rodriguez, a licensed clinical social worker for United HomeCare, runs a Family Caregiver Support Group in Doral, where she sees family caregivers experiencing burnout.
There are future plans to also hold groups at The Residences of United HomeCare, UHC’s brand new LEED-certified and licensed residential facility in West Kendall. Respite is most beneficial when time off from caregiving is meaningful for the caregiver.
Typically respite may only provide enough time to deal with caregiving tasks or crises, rather than time to relax, unwind, visit with other family members and friends, and engage in activities that were enjoyed before becoming a caregiver.
“A caregiver must put on their oxygen mask first, in order to be able to help their loved one,“ says Rodriguez. In her support groups, Rodriguez teaches family caregivers how to manage the stress associated with caregiving. One of the techniques she teaches is pleasant visualization whereby the caregiver can take mental spurts of respite by visualizing going to a place that relaxes them. Developing insight for how to balance their personal time without feeling guilty is key to helping a caregiver stay healthy.
Studies done by the Family Caregiver Alliance have shown that 46 to 59 percent of caregivers are clinically depressed. Most caregivers are not well-prepared for their role and try to provide care with little or no support, yet more than one-third of them continue to provide intense care to others while suffering from the negative effects on their own well-being and health.
There are several community resources in Miami that can facilitate caregiver respite. These include institutional respite, whereby a loved one is placed in an assisted living residence for a week or more of time, allowing the caregiver to take a much needed vacation or break.
Another is using the respite services of a home care agency that can provide a well-trained home health aide to come to the home to care for a loved one for periods of time. Accepting help from family and friends is encouraged. While, professional respite service can be purchased privately, there are also some public programs that can also help.
