People today are living longer than ever before.  The increase in our life span can be attributed to a number of items including better living conditions, medical advancements, and more.  However, with this life expectancy increase, people are requiring more care, and are often times turning to members of their own family for help.

Being a caregiver for a loved one is a truly loving and rewarding job, but, at the same time, it is physically demanding, as well as extremely stressful and exhausting.  Too often family caregivers give all of themselves to their loved one and ignore their own health and well-being.  According to the Center for Disease Control, family caregivers often pay a high toll for their loving care:

• 35% of caregivers have difficulty finding time for themselves
• 29% experience emotional and physical stress from their role
• 54% said their health has gotten worse due to caregiving, and has affected their ability to give care
• 29% have difficulty balancing work and family responsibilities

However, there is help for family caregivers that allows them to have a break from caregiving and take care of themselves, respite care.  Respite care is often referred to as “short break care” or a “caregiver’s vacation”, as it provides a caregiver with a break from caregiving while their loved one still continues to receive the care that they need.  

Respite care provided by in home care Sacramento organization Ally Independence can offer a variety of benefits for both family caregiver and the individual being cared for.  Ally Independence can provide home care for the ill or elderly to allow family caregivers to run errands or go shopping, enjoy some needed alone time, go to appointments, take vacations, and more.  While under the care of an Ally Independence Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) caregiver, family members can have the peace of mind that their loved one is properly and safely being cared for while they are away, allowing family caregivers to have a true physical, mental, and emotional break.  

In addition, respite care also is beneficial for the individual being cared for.  Since the respite care provided by home care agency Ally Independence allows the individual to remain at home while their family caregiver has a break, there is little disruption in the routine of the individual being cared for.  They are able to maintain their sense of normalcy while their primary caregiver is getting refreshed and recharged.  These scheduled breaks also allows the family caregiver to become a more effective caregiver for their loved one.  Anyone who is exhausted, ill, or over-stress cannot adequately take care of themselves, let alone another individual who requires extensive care.  So the individual being cared for receives the highest quality of care not only from Ally Independence’s CNA caregivers, but from their family member as well.  Respite care services often best serve the entire family when they are discussed and scheduled before a family caregiver becomes overwhelmed and stressed by the responsibilities of caregiving.  Finally, respite care benefits the individual being cared for because it increases their social interaction.  As humans, we are social creatures, needing human contact with a variety of individuals. Having an additional person to come in one’s home, care for and converse with them can offer tremendous social benefits to an individual who needs care.  The benefits of respite care for both the family caregiver and their loved one often times allows for this relationship to remain successful and ensures that the individual can remained being cared for in their own home.  

At Ally Independence, our goal is to provide family caregivers with the respite care that they need in order to be the most effective caregivers possible.  With our services, family members can schedule as little or as much time as they need to take care of themselves and their lives.  We want to make sure that caring for a loved one remains a rewarding, and not taxing, job.  Respite care is a great solution for ensuring that all members of the family are being well taken care, physically, emotionally, and mentally.