Respite Care During the Holidays

The holidays are supposed to be a joyful time but being a caregiver at the holidays can be very stressful. To make the most of the holiday season, family caregivers need to take more opportunities to relax than they might normally consider. Caregivers often feel like they have to take on the additional holiday load of event planning, gift buying and wrapping, and even smoothing out difficult family dynamics. While caregivers should be involved in all of these things to make sure that the loved one that they are caring for is included and taken care of, the caregiver should not be the only person responsible for holiday festivities planning. It is more important that the family member of close friend giving care ensures that the needs of themselves and the loved one are met during gatherings and knows how to seek out additional support when necessary to avoid the holiday blues. An often-overlooked method of support is respite care.

Respite care provides you with a reliable alternative to your caring for a loved one without a break. During the busy holiday season, it is important that you get the rest you need. Most respite care is short-term and comes in different forms. Sometimes you need assistance for a few hours a day on occasion; sometimes you need a few hours a day a few times a week, and other times you may require overnight relief to get the rest you need to continue caregiving. It is even possible to get emergency respite care when something requires your attention at the last minute. Whether you use respite care frequently or just on occasion, it is important that you recognize the right balance of caregiving and personal time for you and your family.

This holiday season, make sure the family caregivers in your life remember that they have needs too. Griswold Home Care can help to make sure those needs are met by referring experienced caregivers who provide respite and overnight care opportunities so that family caregivers also feel the joy of the holiday season. Griswold Home Care has spent decades referring quality respite care services so that primary caregivers can get the breaks they need, whether that’s an afternoon of holiday shopping, a doctor’s appointment of their own, handling holiday chores such as airport pickups or cooking, or just a few uninterrupted hours to rest. We are here for you. Contact us to request a consultation here or call 407-638-8116.