When your loved one begins to age and restarts receiving diagnoses like dementia, Alzheimer’s, or more, your first instinct is that you want to take care of them. Having this instinct isn’t a bad thing; it shows how much you love and cherish your loved ones, and want to ensure that they are receiving the best care possible. However, a lot of people don’t realize how time consuming and difficult caregiving for a loved one truly is.
When you become a caregiver, your entire life revolves around your loved one. It is a job where you are required to be on call 24 hours a day seven days a week. There are no breaks, there are no benefits like vacation time or sick time, and you have to be at your best 100% of the time. That’s a lot to ask if anyone.
Because of this, many caregivers experience burnout, so centers like Astoria’s senior respite care in Omaha are so important. They allow the caregiver to truly have a break: one that is desperately needed for both their physical and mental health.
What is Caregiver Burnout?
Have you ever had a job that was so physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing that it made you physically ill? Even though you can’t compare caregiving to a toxic workplace, the idea that you have to be on call and on your best 24 hours a day seven days a week can be overwhelming. After a prolonged period of time with this, it can begin to take a physical and mental toll.
That doesn’t mean that you’re doing anything wrong, or that your loved one is demanding too much of you. You could be doing everything right, including taking regular breaks, and still feel like you’re burned out.
Burn out can show its face in many different ways like: rapid weight loss or weight gain, sleeping too much or too little, chronic headaches or stomach aches, becoming uncharacteristically argumentative or apathetic with your loved ones, and depression or anxiety.
Why Respite Care is Important
Respite care gives caregivers the break that they so need to remind them that they are people with needs too. Respite care is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a place that cares for your loved one safely and securely. Well you go out and do things that you need or want to do. You can compare respite care to babysitting. When you want to go out on a date night, you don’t want to take your children with you. This doesn’t mean that you don’t love them; but simply means that you want to have some time for yourself away from them. And that’s okay!
Respite care, accomplishes exactly that, except for our senior loved ones. No one judges you for leaving your children with a babysitter while you go out and go shopping, go to dinner, or go for a night out on the town. Along the same lines, no one will judge you for ensuring that your loved one is well cared for while you have some much needed time to yourself. Caregiving is a tough job, and all caregivers need a little break. Respite care helps them do just that.
1. Gives Caregivers a Chance to Have Time for a Vacation
When you’re a caregiver, you don’t get any sick days or vacation days. Caregiving is a full-time job that you are never off the clock for. With respite care, caregivers get the opportunity to make time for themselves that many other people take for granted. Caregivers, just like everyone else, need a vacation too.
With places like Astoria‘s senior respite care in Omaha, caregivers can leave their loved one in the hands of a group of people who are well trained, well equipped, and excited to bring their loved ones into their temporary home. You will truly be able to take a vacation, knowing that your loved one is in safe hands.
2. Allow Caregivers to Tend to Their Own Health Needs
It’s hard enough to take a sick day in a regular 9-5 job, but when you’re a caregiver, taking a sick day is impossible. If you’re a caregiver who struggles with chronic health conditions yourself, finding the time to take care of you and your own health needs is even more challenging than that!
This is why respite care is so important. Respite care allows for caregivers to take care of themselves too – whether it’s taking a couple of days to have a surgery done or even just half a day to go to a dentist’s appointment. Caregivers need to have their own health looked after too, and respite care allows them to do so.
3. Take Time to Simply Rest
What many caregivers don’t understand is that they’re allowed to be tired. They’re allowed to want to take breaks and take time for themselves without having to worry about their loved one’s health and safety. Respite care allows caregivers to do just that.
If you’re a caregiver and you’ve had a rough week, it’s okay to allow a service like Astoria’s senior respite care in Omaha to spend time with your loved one while you go out and get a manicure. You’re allowed to schedule time to go to the movies with your friends or spend a night alone watching Netflix and eating junk food. Your emotional and mental health are just as important as your physical health, and allowing respite care to take the burden – even for a little while – can work wonders.
Astoria’s Respite Care in Omaha
Taking on a caregiving role for a loved one is commendable, but many people don’t realize how taxing it can be. This is especially true if you are caregiving alone without anyone to help you.
Here at Astoria’s senior respite care in Omaha, we understand what all goes into taking care of your loved ones. Let us take some of the burden off of your shoulders.
If you’re interested in seeing what Astoria can do for you, contact us and schedule a tour with us today!