Respite Care Funded through Alberta Health Services
Did you know you could be eligible for funding for respite care services? Alberta Health Services offers programs to aid primary caregivers and their families so they can help their loved ones maintain a healthy lifestyle, without sacrificing their own health and wellbeing.
What is Respite Care?
If you’re acting as a primary caregiver, then you know how difficult it can be to manage the day to day needs of someone else. It’s exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally. You feel obligated to be a good caregiver, and it’s hard to reconcile that with how draining the experience can be. This often leads to feelings of guilt or resentment, alongside he burnout experienced by many caregivers.
These are perfectly normal feelings, and it’s important to acknowledge them. It’s also important to recognize that you can share the burden. Respite care consists of a care companion who visits your home to provide care and support for your elderly relative. That gives you a chance to leave the house to recuperate and relax. Too often, caregivers find it hard to make time for themselves, but obtaining this respite from caregiving is important for your mental health.
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Why Does Respite Care Matter?
Respite care exists to provide family caregivers a break. Caregiving is a full-time job. It occupies most of your time, energy, and emotional space. You might spend years taking care of an elderly relative. If you don’t make time for yourself, you can experience depression, high-stress levels, and even apathy.
On the other hand, if you have a regular opportunity to do some self-care, you’ll be in much better shape. You can reclaim your identity outside of caregiving work, meet friends, see movies and shows, and so on.
It’s easy to get caught up in caregiving and feel trapped by the growing responsibilities. By using a respite care service, you’re giving yourself a safety valve for your emotions and time. It helps you overcome feelings of guilt, resentment, and loss. At Harmony Caregiving, we provide more than respite.
Need Support? Connect with Other Caregivers
Harmony Caregiving offers support for caregivers, as well as a chance to connect, share questions and ideas, and get valuable information about caring for a loved one. Our caregiver support group meets on Wednesdays to provide support and assistance to all caregivers. Contact us to learn more about our respite care information sessions and family caregiver alliance.
In-Home Respite Care
The phenomenon of caregiver burden is very real. Looking after an elderly friend or relative is never as easy as we imagine, and many people experience a mix of negative emotions and physical exhaustion as a result.
Fortunately, Harmony Caregiving has a solution that can give you some well-deserved time away. We’ll send a home care assistant directly to your house (or the home of your loved one).
The ability to take some time off is invaluable. Remember, if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be an effective caregiver. You need to be fair to yourself. You can’t sacrifice everything for another person. Eventually, you will burn out and be unable to provide proper care to your loved one.
In-Facility Respite Care
For individuals that require more medical supervision or a more controlled environment, some respite agencies maintain their own adult day center or adult day care facilities. You bring your loved one to the facility and the staff on hand will watch over them. This is incredibly beneficial for your loved one because they get to experience a new environment while maintaining structure and routine.
Why Choose In-Facility Care?
The kind of care you need depends on your circumstances. The primary reason to choose in-facility care is for medical or safety oversight. You need to know that your loved one is in a safe environment with people who will protect and care for them, even if a medical issue or emergency arises.
Do you have questions about in-home or facility respite care ?
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Does Respite Care Only Benefit Me?
By connecting with a team of experts, you’re providing your loved one with social connections and cognitive stimulation. While social interactions and new experiences are important for all older adults, they are particularly helpful for seniors suffering from dementia. They can relax in a safe environment with a companion tending to their needs while you attend to your own. This caregiving support benefits anyone who might be affected by these circumstances, like your spouse, children, and even friends. You can spend more time with them away from the pressures of caregiving.
Of course, respite care benefits you too. The additional support of private home care staff gives you greater peace of mind and a stronger ability to cope. That translates into greater resilience and better health outcomes for you. The goal is to help you feel fulfilled in your role as a caregiver and in the rest of your life. Find respite care today. Contact us to get started.
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Benefits for the Seniors
There are three main benefits that the elderly can get from respite care: better health, better financial security, and a closer relationship with family. These benefits can vary considerably.
Each respite companion is trained in health monitoring and care to ensure your loved receives best care available. Home care provides seniors with professional monitoring without needing to go to the hospital. And a home care worker can spot important signs that you may miss.
Financial security is also important. When the elderly experience mental decline, they often begin to have trouble with their finances. They can lose track of their bills and payments, and they might not be able to go shopping anymore. And, homecare is much less costly than nursing home facilities. With homecare, you won’t need to worry about your relative overspending money or wasting it.
Lastly, time alone will mean that you and the elderly person in your care will have a much healthier relationship. While once there was resentment and confusion, now a companion can support you both, alleviating the tension between you. That means fewer arguments and smoother interactions. This way, you can relate to one another as friends and family members. You can take the time to enjoy each other’s presence.
Benefits to the Families
You and your family will benefit significantly from this arrangement. Caregiving can be a huge source of stress for the family in ways you might not expect. Home care helps you share that load with someone else who knows the situation and is helping.
Family care tends to dominate conversations and space. Respite care is enough to ensure some personal time makes it into your schedule. You can talk to the different members of your family, find out what they’re feeling, and see if there’s any way you can help. You can also find help for yourself in the form of a therapist. The drawn-out nature of caregiving takes a real toll on you and your family. The whole family can support each other and grow closer when they have some respite time. If you neglect these other relationships, that can make the whole experience significantly worse.
When Should I Start Thinking About Respite Care?
As soon as you become a caregiver, you should start thinking about ways to access respite care and private home care. You’ll need to put aside some money for this kind of care and do some preliminary research about caregiving organizations near you. Respite services are generally available for those who can no longer care for themselves. The care recipient might experience a physical or mental decline or both.
This isn’t an easy conversation to have or an easy thought to entertain, because nobody likes to consider the decline. That is not a welcome prospect, and it’s something people tend to be uncomfortable discussing. But, as soon as you find out you’ll be expected to provide care, it’s time to think about respite care.
The earlier your loved one falls into a rhythm of regular sessions with a respite companion, the easier it will be for everyone. You can always begin a respite program later on, but the earlier you start, the sooner you enjoy the benefits. Consider it an investment in yourself so you can be the best caregiver to someone you value deeply. It won’t be a smooth journey, but respite care can make it significantly easier.
Respite Care Can Happen Anywhere
Respite care can use the in-person model, in-facility model, or both. The goal is to find what makes you and your loved one most comfortable. This can vary based on age, diagnosis, prior health industry, whether you need short-term or long-term care, and more. Remember, no matter what your home situation is like, an experienced staff from a respite care agency can work under a wide variety of conditions.
Don’t hold off calling because you think it’s too much work. The earlier you start this process, the sooner you will experience the benefits. We’re facing an aging population. Demand for aging-related services is expected to increase, so waiting will likely push the prices up.
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Respite Care for Destination Home
Acute Care in Edmonton hospitals can be challenging for any senior. Seniors with dementia especially find that the unfamiliar hospital environment causes a high level of anxiety. Our Certified Health Care Aides provide home care services when your loved one prefers their home to a hospital.
The length of time you require respite care services varies greatly. You may require continual care 24 hours per day for 7 days a week until your parent or loved one is placed in a long term care facility. Or you may only require a couple hours every week. This time at home with homecare services provides your loved one and your family the opportunity to prepare for the senior care facility transition.
Destination Home is a great compromise between your obligations to your loved one and your need to take care of yourself. You need to start planning for respite care early to make it fit into your schedule and your budget. It might be necessary to bring your loved one to a facility for respite because they need close medical attention. This might seem like a lot of work, but it makes a huge difference to your everyday experience. Y
Everyone stands to benefit from respite care. Even if those benefits were limited to just you, they would be transformative, and worthy of your consideration.
Click Here To Contact Harmony Caregiving For a Complimentary In-Home Visit