What is Respite Care?

Respite care is temporary care for patients and also is a short-term break or rest provided for primary caregivers. Primary caregivers may be taking care of their sick loved ones round the clock, so a much-needed break is essential for their physical and mental health.

Respite care can be done in the caregiver’s home, in a healthcare facility, at special adult day-care centers, or in residential centers with overnight stays. Caregivers can set up respite care from a few hours up to several days or weeks, depending on their needs.

 

What are the types of Respite care?

here are the types of Respite care options:

Emergency Respite Care

There are several types of respite care. The first type of respite care is emergency respite care. Emergency respite care is emergency care for the sudden unavailability of primary caregivers. During times of urgent situations, emergency care is needed to prevent the situation from getting worse. This happens when the primary caregiver becomes sick, suffers an accident, or becomes unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances.

 

In-Home Respite Care

The next type of respite care is in-home respite care. In-home respite care is when a temporary caregiver goes to the patient’s house to provide respite care. In-home respite care provides a much-needed temporary break for primary caregivers who are also the parents, children, or friends of the sick loved one. This type of care gives primary caregivers access to some downtime and a break from their everyday roles. Because of their daily routine, in-home respite care allows them to take a quick break and attend to their needs or personal businesses for a certain period of time. In-home respite care is advantageous for the people being cared for because they are in a place that they are familiar with and feel safe in.

There are several examples of in-home respite care. The first example is home-based respite care services. Home-based respite care services are provided by a public health nursing agency, a social service department, a volunteer association, a private nonprofit agency, or a private homemaker service or home care agency. These agencies provide trained and licensed staff members to come into the patient’s home and offer respite services that are available 24 hours a day.

The next example of in-home respite care is sitter-companion services. Sitter-companion services are provided by trained individuals. These trained individuals have the specialties to provide respite care for children or adults with special needs. This type of in-home respite care can be a project of service organizations and specialized agencies. These service organizations and specialized agencies provide training and maintain a list of trained providers to link patients and their families.

Another example of in-home respite care is consumer-directed respite services. Consumer-directed respite services is provided by an identified or selected member of the patient’s family. This identified or selected member of the patient’s family is trained under a respite program or by the patient’s family. The respite care providers are either unpaid or paid through a voucher program offered to the patient’s caregivers.

 

Out-Of-Home Respite Care

Out-of-home respite care is also called facility-based respite care because it is provided away from homes, such as in a residential care facility, a nursing home, an adult day care center, or a respite camp. Residential care facilities like nursing homes or dementia care facilities provide care that is safe, supportive, and stimulating throughout the day and night. Respite camps are commonly preferred by children and adults with disabilities. This type of care is perfect for patients who prefer a change in their environment and scenery. This change in environment and scenery allows patients to experience new surroundings, different expectations, peer relationships, and cognitive and emotional stimulation.

Out-of-home respite care has trained and professional staff to provide respite care for patients whose primary caregivers are temporarily not available. This type of respite care is suitable for patients that need an elevated level of care because of the availability of professional staff round-the-clock.

Out-of-home respite care, on the other hand, has several special considerations. First is that transportation may be required, and special types of equipment may need to be moved from the patient’s residence to the respite care facility. Next is that the patient may not like the unfamiliar environment or may have difficulty adjusting to the new setting or changes. Lastly, the services offered are offered in various settings that are more restrictive than the patient’s home.

There are several examples of out-of-home respite care centers. The first example is adult day health care centers. Adult health care centers, also known as adult day services, provide respite care services, such as therapeutic services and social activities for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, chronic illnesses, traumatic brain injuries, developmental disabilities, and other conditions that require increased care.

The next example of out-of-home respite care centers is family care homes. Family care homes offer respite care services in the provider’s home. The provider’s home can be the staff person’s home from a respite program, a family day care home, a trained volunteer’s family home, or a licensed foster home. This example of out-of-home respite care enables patients to receive respite care in a more familiar setting like their homes.

Another example of out-of-home respite care centers is respite center-based facilities. Respite center-based facilities are daycare centers that have respite care programs in their contracts. They provide respite care to children with special needs. This example of out-of-home respite care centers is effective in rural areas because it ensures a supervised environment for children.

The next example of out-of-home respite care centers in residential facilities. Residential facilities are long-term facilities that provide respite care to people with developmental disabilities. People with developmental disabilities can also go to community residencies like group homes and supervised apartments, nursing homes, and state-owned facilities that offer respite care for overnight, weekend, or extended stays.

The next example of out-of-home respite care centers is hospice respite centers. Hospice respite centers provide end-of-life respite care in a hospital or other appropriate setting for patients with high care needs. The hospital or other appropriate settings honor the values of end-of-life care and give security to primary caregivers.

Another example of out-of-home respite care centers is hospital-based respite care centers. Hospital-based respite care centers are hospitals that provide respite care in a safe setting for adults and children with high care needs. Adult and child patients can receive high-quality respite care while being in a familiar environment with familiar people. This example of an out-of-home respite is perfect for parents and caregivers of patients because of the sense of security they provide.

Another example of out-of-home respite care centers is camps. Camps provide a positive experience for child patients as well as a much-needed break for parents or caregivers. Child patients with disabilities and chronic or terminal illnesses can experience and participate in an integrated or adaptive camp. An integrated or adaptive camp can be life-expanding for child and adult patients as well.

The next example of out-of-home respite care centers is respitality centers. Respitality centers are formed from partnerships between the private sector and respite agencies. Respitality centers provide respite and hospitality to patients and their families. Patients can receive high-quality respite care or nursing care while their families are provided with a room, a pleasant dining experience, or entertainment.

Another example of out-of-home respite care centers is parent and family caregiver cooperatives. Parent and family caregiver cooperatives provide trade respite services between their members who are families or parents of children with disabilities and chronic illnesses like traumatic brain injury or other similar conditions.

 

Who qualifies for Respite Care?

Qualifying for respite care differs from one provider to another. Medicare’s financial assistance coverage for hospice care has the same requirements as Medicare coverage for hospice care. Medicare coverage for hospice care requires the patients to be certified by their physicians that they are terminally ill with a life expectancy of 6 months or less. Patients must also accept comfort care or palliative care instead of treatment for their illnesses.

Medicaid has different coverage options per state. Medicaid and Medicare’s Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) may cover respite care costs for patients aged 55 or older. These respite care recipients must also be certified by their respective states to be in need of nursing home-level care.

Respite care offered by the state also considers younger people aside from the elderly. It includes any resident who is 18 years old and above with a physical disability and also people with dementia regardless of age.

 

What are the Respite Care costs?

The National Institute of Aging (NIA) states that respite care services cost by the number of hours, days, or weeks respite care services are provided. Respite care services cost an average of $80 daily for adult day healthcare centers. Adult day healthcare centers provide the most affordable and in-demand respite care services. Respite care services in assisted living facilities cost a daily average of $152, while in-home respite care costs around $26 per hour or $260 per 10 hours of respite care in a week.

Respite care costs are covered by Medicare up to five days consecutively after the patent receives respite care in a hospital or a skilled nursing facility. On the other hand, respite care costs are out-of-pocket costs and are not covered by most private insurance plans, according to NIA. NIA mentions that the patient’s family must pay all respite care costs that are not covered by insurance or other funding sources. Other funding sources may come from federal agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and the Administration on Aging for the cost of respite care.

 

How To Find Respite Care

There are several ways to find respite care. The first way is through the state departments in the United States. The state department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services of Tennessee has a respite care program for caregivers of children with serious emotional disturbance. This program teaches caregivers about finding and training respite providers for their children. In Connecticut, the state Department of Children and Families has a respite government program that provides respite care for children with special emotional and behavioral needs.

For the elderly, one way to find respite care is through the Eldercare Locator of the Administration on Aging agency. The administration on Aging agency is under the U.S. Administration for Community Living. The Eldercare Locator connects older American patients and their caregivers with local support resources, including respite care services, adult day care services, specialized care services, and other caregiver support services.

 

Am I Eligible For Respite Care?

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs states that if you are a veteran enrolled in the VA Health Benefits package, you are eligible for respite care. The VA Health Benefits package includes all the necessary inpatient hospital care and outpatient services to preserve and restore your health. To be eligible, you must be a Veteran who enlisted after September 7, 1980, or who entered active duty after October 16, 1981, and must have served for 24 consecutive months.

For states offering respite care, you are eligible for respite care if you are an adult aged 55 years and above, an 18-year-old and above with a physical disability, or any age who suffers from dementia.

 

What services are include in Respite Care?

You can get respite care services which can be provided by different agencies and their respite care team such as home healthcare agencies, adult family homes, boarding homes, adult day healthcare programs, nursing facilities, and residential care facilities. The following respite care and personal care services you can get are as follows:

• Assistance with household activities of daily living, such as laundry and meal preparation, from respite care professionals who visit their patient’s homes.
• Assistance with dressing and bathing, including other essential daily activities from respite care professionals using the patient’s bathroom.
• Transportation to medical appointments safely and on time by respite care professionals.
• General medical care assistance, such as taking medications, checking on wounds, and performing other basic medical care from respite care professionals.
• Companionship services to make sure the patients are well taken care of by respite care professionals.