Respite care is a form of short-term care that is a temporary arrangement. It is where a qualified and expertly trained carer helps and cares for someone who needs extra support and assistance in the place of their usual carer who may be taking a short break, off for medical or personal reasons or on holiday.
There are many advantages for both the loved one needing the respite care and the family. Below is a list of the advantages and a few disadvantages to make it fair that come along with hiring a respite carer.
Advantages of Hiring a Respite Carer
- Respite care gives your loved one the chance to socialise with new people without having to leave the comfort of their familiar surroundings. Although your loved one might not like the idea of meeting new people at first, it can be beneficial for them to brave that fear and find friendships outside of their bubble.
- Hiring a respite carer can help relieve stress for your loved one’s carer and their family. This can then relieve the feeling of exhaustion and frustration between your loved one and their carer, increasing everyone’s wellbeing.
- A respite carer can also allow the primary caregiver to maintain their own identity and differentiate their work-life with their own personal life. This gives them a break to focus on themself by going to a spa, catch up on rest or just spend time with their own family. Without a rest, carers are at risk of burning out and spiralling into depression and bad mental health.
- Hiring a respite carer allows the loved one’s family to not feel as guilty about their daily activities. Sometimes when a loved one is ill or struggles with their health, it can cause family members to feel understandably sad and depressed. Their loved ones health may make them feel guilty for going out and having fun or continuing to enjoy their day to day life.
- When a respite carer is hired, it can allow their family to relax as they have peace of mind knowing their loved one is being taken care of and is in good hands whilst they are out and about on holiday or just doing daily activities.
Disadvantages of Hiring a Respite Carer
- Unfortunately, hiring a respite career can be expensive. Depending on the company and the care package you decide to pick, there may be respite care that is or is not within your budget. There are some charities that can offer funding for respite care so do your research first.
- You may find that your loved one does not want to meet or interact with anyone new. This could cause friction between your loved one and the respite carer, adding stress to the situation rather than making it a relaxing experience. At MyLife, we have lots of respite carers with different personalities and interests to allow us to find the perfect respite carer for your loved one.
Whilst respite care is not for everyone, it can be a blessing for many families and full-time carers. Be sure to consider the needs and wants for everyone involved and the potential advantages and disadvantages that respite care brings – we would be delighted to help you further should you decide that respire care is for you!
Please get in touch with us here or find out more about our respite care offering here
