Those who care for someone with a disability or an illness need time to rest. Caregivers can experience physical, mental, and emotional burnout. Exhaustion can make a caregiver less able to do their job well. It can also affect health. It is important for caregivers to take care of themselves which will ultimately allow them to better care for loved ones.
Respite care can provide caregivers with a break of a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks to look after their own needs. This time can be used for vacations, shopping, appointments, or just relaxation. Respite care can be provided at home, at care centers specially set up for respite care, and in residential centers that offer overnight stays. Loved ones are cared for by trained providers in these safe and comfortable facilities. These trained providers offer services from accompanying your loved one for an afternoon to taking care of household chores, preparing meals, and bathing and dressing.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) provides a Respite Care Toolkit at https://www.caregiver.va.gov/support/docs/docs2024/Respite_OnlineCaregiverRespiteTool-Veteran.pdf# and Caregiver Resources at https://www.caregiver.va.gov/support/docs/docs2024/Caregiver_Resource_Respite_Care_Caregiver-v2_tips.pdf#.
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