Transitional Respite Care

Most adult children, if they’re being honest with themselves, can foreshadow the need for Assisted Living or Memory Care for their Mom or Dad. This very practical thought can often bring up feelings of extreme guilt and overwhelm in the face of the intense emotional and logistical challenges that will inevitably come up as such time approaches.

No Need For A Quick Move

Rather then be forced into a quick and uncomfortable decision to move into an Assisted Living or Memory Care Residence, why not take advantage of Respite Care services that are often available on relatively short notice and can be used from time to time as necessary such as in the case of a vacation or short-term illness or injury to a primary caregiver.

What Is Respite?

Simply put, Respite is a brief stay of a few days to a few weeks in a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly and can provide valuable relief to Caregivers in the event of time off or other personal matters that require them to take a break from daily care giving. In addition to a much needed break for the caregiver, the prospective Resident has an opportunity to see first-hand how being in a beautiful and safe Residential Care setting can actually be quite enjoyable and nowhere near as horrible as is typically envisioned.

Having the opportunity to make friends, spend time with the little children at next door’s Jan Peterson Child Development Center (JanPetersonCDC.com), get hair and nails done, play a round of bingo or go on a lunch outing can be an enjoyable and unexpected diversion for a Respite Care Resident stay and lay the groundwork for a more permanent future move.  

Conclusion

It should be clear that a brief Respite stay to test out the Residential Care waters can be a much less painful way to transition an elderly parent into a more permanent care setting. It allows for a natural dialogue to develop about the possibilities of such care and what types of benefits it can offer a family.

There is no need for uncomfortable discussions about what the future may hold as this can be described to the prospective Resident as exactly what it is: A temporary stay to allow for the recuperation of both Resident and Caregiver alike with a side benefit of slowly and methodically introducing the concept of today’s Residential Health Care and that is a good thing!