Loving families are often willing to move mountains for those that they love, especially for aging parents and loved ones. At Home Care Assistance of Jefferson County, we’ve see many dedicated families take on the role of caregiver when a loved one’s abilities decline and make daily activities such as cooking, cleaning or bathing and dressing difficult to complete. However, if you provide home care for a loved one, whether on an hourly or full-time basis, it’s important to know that you don’t have to embark on this journey alone.
Respite care is a service that’s designed for family caregivers, providing them with relief from their day-to-day care responsibilities. Whether care is provided on an hourly or live-in basis, family caregivers are able to take time for themselves, to attend to personal needs, spend time with friends and family and to relax and recuperate. The break allows them to return to their duties refreshed and rejuvenated.
For many family caregivers, the idea of a break or assistance is not necessary. However, caregiver stress and burnout are two common conditions that plague family caregivers. And because these conditions often occur over an extended period of time, their symptoms are not always easy to identify. Those who are overly stressed or overwhelmed by their caregiving responsibilities may experience dramatic changes in mood or behavior, extreme irritability, exhaustion, weight loss or gain, and in some cases, depression.
While the above mentioned symptoms can be managed without help to some degree, they can negatively affect the level and quality of care that is being provided. For instance, family members who are not at their optimal health and wellness are more prone to caregiving mistakes, one of the most threatening and unfortunately most common is medication mix-ups. A caregiver who is tired, irritable or simply worn out, may provide their loved one with the wrong medication at the wrong time or may fill a medi-set incorrectly. These kinds of mistakes, while small, can leave a senior loved one sick or in extreme cases, hospitalized.
Entrusting the care of an aging parent or loved one to another person is not an easy task, however the right caregiver can provide the support that you need to ensure that your loved one’s needs are met. Home Care Assistance hires some of the best and most qualified caregivers in Jefferson County, with about 1 in 25 meeting our selection criteria. Each caregiver must also demonstrate prior work experience and pass a background investigation, reference check and a psychological examination which tests for characteristics such as honesty and conscientiousness.
If you would like to learn more about live-in or hourly respite care in Jefferson County, don’t hesitate to reach out to a friendly and knowledgeable Care Manager at (303) 987-5992. We are here to help and are more than happy to meet you in person to further discuss care needs. Our consultations are available at no cost to you, and are simply a way for you to get to know us and learn more about our services. We look forward to hearing from you.