Respite care occurs in a person’s home or at a facility. There are benefits and drawbacks to each setup, and the choice is often a personal one.
In-Home Respite Care
Just like it sounds, in-home respite care provides assistance and support in a person’s home. A professional caregiver comes to the house to help the primary caregiver for a few hours or full-time over a brief period.
A primary perk is the person stays in their own home, which may make them feel more comfortable. A 2018 AARP survey revealed three out of four seniors want to stay in their homes as long as possible as opposed to moving to a facility.
On the other hand, many in-home respite care services only provide a single caregiver at a time (as opposed to a facility with many staff working at a given time). So if the person regularly requires assistance that involves two people, such as the use of a lift, the family caregiver will need to request an additional assistant, which doubles the cost of respite care.
Adult Day Centers
Think of an adult day center as an adult daycare. They are “non-residential facilities that support the nutritional, health, daily living and social needs of older adults,” says Abramson. “These centers often provide mature adults with day-to-day oversight or transitional care, as well as short-term rehabilitation following hospital discharge.”
In adult day centers, people can socialize while receiving care. Meanwhile, the primary caregiver has time to do things like go to their own appointments and simply take a break, says DeAnn Hawkins, community relations director of Spruce Point Assisted Living in Florence, Oregon.
“Disadvantages include daily transportation to and from, and the hours a person can be there are more limited,” says Hawkins.
Respite Care Facilities
A more permanent solution than an adult day center, respite care facilities “provide caregivers with temporary rest from daily caregiving responsibilities, allowing the person needing care to continue to receive oversight and supervision in a safe environment,” says Abramson. These facilities can care for adults during the day and overnight and can handle both short-term and long-term stays.
Benefits include a structured environment with 24/7 nursing and medical care, says Abramson. Hawkins adds that respite care facilities can be “a good trial for those considering a move to a higher level of care.”
Meanwhile, the major downside is the person is away from their home and loved ones for an extended period of time.
