Can Respite Care Be Done at Home?

Yes, respite care can be done at home. However, when home-based respite care isn’t a viable option, adult day care centers can offer daytime relief, and some residential care or nursing facilities that allow short-term stays provide around-the-clock respite. Hospice also offers relief for primary caregivers rendering end-of-life care.

As of 2020, about 53 million adults in the United States care for a spouse, a special-needs child, elderly parents or relatives. Many do it while also working full-time. It’s reasonable to assume that family caregivers can't manage everything alone, even if they devote themselves full-time to their charges. Depending on the circumstances, respite care can last for any length of time, from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks or longer. It can take place at home, in a senior residential facility or at an adult day care center. At home, relatives, friends or volunteers can provide informal respite care, or the family may opt to employ a professional caregiver.

Caring for disabled, aging or ill family members can be physically and emotionally draining, and family caregivers who don’t prioritize their well-being run the risk of experiencing caregiver burnout. Respite care provides necessary breaks so caregivers have time to attend to personal needs, run errands and rest. Here are more benefits of home-based respite care:

• Care recipients find staying at home more convenient and less disruptive than moving to unfamiliar surroundings.
• When family, friends or volunteers provide home-based respite care, it becomes the most cost-effective respite option.
• Being in familiar surroundings is comforting and can be especially beneficial to seniors with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
• Home-based respite care offers one-on-one care tailored to the recipient’s needs.

When family, friends and volunteers are unable to offer respite care, it may become necessary to hire a professional caregiver. Some caregivers work independently while others represent home care agencies. Regardless, a respite caregiver should ideally adhere to the following criteria:

• Training or certification in caregiving or a related field and previous caregiving experience in a home setting
• Able to assist with personal care, such as bathing, dressing and grooming
• Able to cook and help with feeding, if necessary.
• Basic medication management skills, such as medication reminders, and a working knowledge of first aid
• A clean criminal record and verifiable references