Lilburn provides respite care to sandwich-generation nuclear families. Sandwich-generation families are the ones who are caught caring for their children while also caring for their aging parents. Respite care allows family caregivers to get a break during the workday while a Care Pro supports the older adult by helping them to maintain their routine. Respite care is meant to ease the family caregiver’s burden, not replace family care.
For families in Lilburn that our Lawrenceville office supports, I find that calendar requests are the best place to start. If you are doing both, supporting your children and supporting an older adult, the requests will likely show up as conflicting appointments for the same time block. Finding these conflicts will assist you with determining the areas where you will need to seek outside assistance.
Pick the Conflicting Hours
Respite care concerns the real scheduling gaps you have in your week.
It is likely that the breakfast hour works for your parent, but the middle of the day does not. Maybe, one of your other relatives is available during the weekend, but is unavailable during the Tuesday afternoon hours. It might be that your parent’s best appointment hour is the same time that school pick-up is, or that your parent prefers help during the hours that you are available to help them prepare for the evening.
Instead of asking “How much care do we need?”, I suggest asking four more specific questions:
Calendar question
What it identifies:
When is it difficult each week? What is the most valuable time for ongoing support?
What are responsibilities that cannot be changed?
What time of the day has the family caregivers’ school and work? When are the other people in the care receivers’ family schedule and appointment commitments?
When do you want help? What time of the day best respects your routine and preferences?
What happens if the family caregiver is delayed or can’t come? What is the best and most valuable backup?
When planning a handoff, consider a family caregiver’s availability. It is not about a care plan or emergency. A respite care plan is a break for the family caregiver. It is more efficient for the caregiver to repeat a household routine every time the caregiver returns. The handoff can be simple. What matters is that everyone understands what the older adult prefers and what the caregiver is expected to cover during that time.
I suggest creating a simple handoff plan for these five things:
The older adult’s normal routine. Record their time preferences for food, activities, personal, and quiet time.
What do they need help with? Focus on the tasks that they have agreed to be supported for.
What helps them be more independent. Respite care should help increase independence. If there are tasks that they like to do, care solutions should not replace them.
Relevant household contact details. Ensure quick access to the information that is relevant to the household contacts.
New information not provided earlier. If there were any changes to the routine, needs, preferences, or Care Plan, communicate this information prior to the initiation of respite care.
It is important that the older adult participate in the planning where it is feasible. A regular handoff should not include a list of instructions developed by the family. It should ensure that the preferences and choices of the individual are met.
It provides the desired support to the household.
What Does Respite Care in Lilburn Provide for Older Adults?
This depends on the Care Plan and the services available in the area. A Care Pro may undertake assistance to the family caregiver when he/she is away, within the Care Plan. This may or may not include meal preparation, assistance with errands and light household work, companionship, assistance with personal care, errands/transportation, and reminders to take medication.
It should not be a standard list of services that is offered.
For instance, one person’s needs may be for assistance in meal preparation along with companionship during the day when a family member is at work. Others may need assistance in preparing for bed anding/ settling for the night. Another person may require the family caregiver to be available for appointments outside the home.
Our home care services describe some of the types of non-clinical support that may be contained in a Care Plan.
There are boundaries as well. Non-clinical home care does not cover clinical care by a Registered Nurse, or provide clinical care and medical treatments. A Care Pro can assist with the agreed daily routines. Medical care and data collection for clinical decision making fall under the licensed clinical healthcare professional.
Understanding the boundary helps define what is appropriate for non-clinical support and what still requires a clinical healthcare professional.
When One Weekly Respite Block Is No Longer Enough
A repeated respite block may be the answer. It may become clear that the scheduling rules have changed.
I would look at what occurs outside the scheduled respite.
Let's say the Wednesday afternoon conflict has been resolved, but Friday now has the same issue, and with Monday now added. It is likely that your parent's Care Plan has been expanded and you are now covering a longer portion of the day than previously scheduled. It is also possible now that your workday no longer ends at the previously agreed upon time.
These, and other issues mean it is time to look at the Care Plan again:
Family members are repeatedly rearranging their work and/or school schedules to meet care needs.
The respite block does not address more than one of several anticipated weekly problems.
The care needs are occurring before or after the scheduled respite.
The older adult is now experiencing care needs more frequently and on a more variable basis.
The family is turning to last-minute back-up arrangements more frequently.
Just because a family is turning to a last-minute solution doesn’t mean the member of the family needs extensive care. Next steps could be adding additional blocks of time, or shifting the existing time interval, or focusing on the tasks that are causing the most ambiguity.
Families can contact our Lawrenceville area Home Instead team and discuss how a Care Plan would evolve if the family’s household activities and schedules are changing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Respite Care in Lilburn
What does respite care for a sandwich-generation caregiver provide?
Respite care is temporary or recurring support for an older adult, which allows the caregiver to fulfill other responsibilities. For caregivers that are supporting both children and parents, adults, and working, it can be agreed upon non-medical support for a Care Pro at the care recipient’s home.
How often should respite care be scheduled?
Every family is different, and has different schedules, and what works for one family may not work for another. Start by identifying the recurring hours that are most commonly conflicting. Some families may need support everyday, and some may only need it a few hours a week. Respite care is flexible based on the needs of the older adult and family.
Can respite care be scheduled on a regular basis?
Yes, respite care is flexible and can be scheduled regularly. A regular support system is helpful to the older adult and family because they will know when to expect support. Contact the local office for assistance when creating the Care Plan.
What can non-medical respite care not do?
Non-medical home care cannot provide nursing care, medical care, or home health care. Care Pros do not take on the responsibility of making clinical calls or administering medications. If an older adult needs skilled medical care, the family should seek the support of the licensed health care professional of their choice while using home care service for the non-medical care support.
Should my parent be involved in choosing the respite schedule?
Yes. Often, when possible, an older adult has the right to make the call on when and how help arrives and what Care Pros assist them with, as well as which parts of the routine they prefer to maintain control of. A Care Plan is meant to assist the individual in their daily life with as much or as little flexibility as possible.
What do I need to know when considering a Care Plan?
You need to know what hours of coverage are needed, what tasks may be incorporated, how changes to the schedule are accommodated, what information the Care Pro requires in order to plan the visit, and where non-medical care will end. It also helps to discuss how the older adult is willing to receive assistance because this helps provide a Care Plan that is supportive and respectful.
Build Respite Care Around Your Lilburn Schedule
You don't have to wait until major problems arise before you set up some dependable backup. Start with troublesome hours and talk with your older adult about the level of help they want.
Let us know what part of your weekly routine you struggle with the most and how you think an ideal Care Plan would ease your struggle when you start using respite care in Lilburn.
About Matt Cohn
Matt Cohn has spent more than 25 years helping older adults and their families find the right support to remain safe and comfortable at home. He owns the Home Instead location serving Lawrenceville and brings years of experience working with families, caregivers, and care professionals through decisions about aging and in-home care.
