Why is it important for caregivers to take a break?

Posted by Jeniffer on February 7th, 2017

Have you arranged for someone to take care of your elderly relative suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia? Even if the caregiver doesn’t request much time off, make sure you give them some respite from their 24/7 caring duties. You can check out places where they offer transitional care services in Adelaide.

For someone on the outside, it may look as if the caregiver is not doing anything. Just being there, fetching things or taking care of the personal tasks of their ward. But, if you really look past the facade, you will notice that the caregiver is constantly on his/her feet, moving around doing little things for their patient. This can be physically and emotionally exhausting, and over a period of time the caregiver can get sick. So, you should definitely give them a break from the tension and round-the-clock care. You can check out respite care service in Adelaide. These places will provide temporary care for the person till the caregiver is ready to get back to work after a break.

The caregiver needs the respite time not just to take rest, relax and rejuvenate, but for other reasons too. They can use this time to meet up with their family and friends. While caring for a sick or disabled patient, it can be impossible to make time for family and friends. The caregivers can use this free time for their personal chores or just to go to the movies or a family trip.

Discuss with your caregiver and plan break times in advance. So, you can contact a retirement village in Adelaide and checkout their transitional care services. If the patient needs constant monitoring, then you should make sure the caregiver gets a few hours off each day, to do their daily chores and relax. On the other hand, if the patient is not fully dependent on the caregiver, but only needs assistance, you can plan for weekly time offs. Give the caretaker a day off for their personal work. For such short breaks, another person in the family can step in.

However, the problem arises when the caretaker needs to take a longer break. During such times, you can always opt for respite care service in Adelaide. The retirement village will have trained people who can provide professional services. So, you don’t have to worry about anything.

Only if they take breaks and relax, caregivers can give their best for their wards. So, it is important that they have some time off from work.