FINDING RESPITE CARE: Professionals
Depending on your loved one's needs or the amount of time you require, there are benefits to skilled providers
BY:FRAN SILVERMAN
Get trained help when necessary. If you need trained medical assistance for your loved one when you're away, or if you just can't find a family member or friend to help with a particular respite need, turn to a professional care-provider agency or private care facility. Respite care can be found through day-service programs, in-home trained health aides, private aides hired individually, assisted living facilities and nursing homes.
To find quality care, seek out referrals, get references and look for agencies that have been providing care in the community for many years. Ask your doctors, nurses and social workers for their knowledge of a certain healthcare agency, daycare facility or assisted-living center.
But going outside a network of family or friends for help can be frightening to caregivers. "They are sometimes afraid to use it because they can't find providers they trust, ‘' says Jill Kagan, chair of the National Respite Coalition. "This is the biggest barrier to respite."
Another barrier is the sheer complexity of finding care. Caregivers can get easily overwhelmed just trying to figure out where to start to look for care among the different agencies and programs.
Kagan says her coalition is pushing for statewide coordinated systems, a one-stop shopping for respite care so that caregivers don't get frustrated. Five states—Oregon, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Arizona—have such a program, called Lifespan Respite. If you live in a state without a statewide respite program, you can get help online through the ARCH National Respite Network's respite locator service. This database lists respite services for all ages and conditions in all states. Keep in mind, however, that the providers listed are not screened by the Respite Network for quality and that the list doesn't include every provider. Kagan insists, though, that it's a good first step.
Also seek help from your state respite coalition. The Respite Network lists coalitions for each state, or call (703) 256-9578.
The Family Caregiver Alliance National Center on Caregiving also runs a state-by-state caregiver navigator service for those looking for help and respite. Or, you could call (800) 445-8106.
Taking care of an elderly loved one? Contact your local agency on aging. Locate yours at www.eldercare.gov, or call (800) 677-1116. You can also check into programs at your local senior center.
Assistance is also available through the organization or support group of a particular illness or disability, such as dementia, autism or Alzheimer's groups.
Adult daycare facilities are helpful should you need full-day respite. Locate programs through the National Adult Day Services Association, or call (877) 745-1440.
Need to go away overnight? Consider a local assisted-living facility or nursing homes. Such facilities may require that your loved one spend a certain minimum amount of time in order to qualify or may have a limited number of beds available for respite care. You could also find professional in-home health aides to stay with your loved one in your absence.