Weekend and Vacation Care for Elderly People at Home

Weekend and Vacation Care for Elderly People at Home: People who care for elderly family members living at home face an annual dilemma. It’s summer, the kids are out of school, and boy, do you need a break. Maybe it’s a beach vacation on an island, or maybe it’s exploring a new city with the kids, but it’s difficult to just pick up and go when you’re also taking on full-time caregiving duties for a senior living at home.

The same thing applies to busy weekends. You can’t leave your elderly family member alone, and it seems like too much to ask a friend or neighbor to look in on them. Your family member doesn’t need skilled nursing care, or even assisted living; they just need the level of care you provide regularly. Having an in-home care aide can provide the respite care you need to enjoy that vacation after all.

What Are Respite Care Services

Respite care is just another term for having an in-home care aide for short-term stays when their regular family caregiver is unavailable or just needs a break. At-home caregivers who provide respite care are accustomed to meeting the needs of a variety of seniors, providing a high level of care including:

• Personal Care Assistance. Help with bathing, dressing and other basic needs is vital to your elderly relative’s health and well-being. Elder care aides can provide dignified help with these personal care tasks.
• Errands. An in-home caregiver can run errands for your elderly loved one. Whether it’s picking up a prescription, getting groceries, or mailing a letter at the post office, these simple errands can become a big hassle for elderly people who are less mobile.
• Medication reminders. No aspect of senior care causes people more stress than making sure elderly relatives are taking the right medications at the right time of day or night. An at-home caregiver can help with regular reminders so that no medicines get missed.
• Light Housekeeping. Taking care of chores like sweeping and dusting can be physically exhausting for an elderly person, and can negatively impact their health. A care aide can help with these chores, including laundry.

That’s just a few of the care options that are available with an at-home care aide. Plus, caregivers are trained to spend some quality time with the seniors to provide a level of companionship that otherwise may be missing while you’re away.

How to Get Weekend and Vacation Care for Elderly People at Home:

The process is simple. Contact a home care agency to get started with the program. The program itself is actually administered through the State of Illinois’ Department on Aging, and you’ll have to qualify for the program. The state conducts an interview and assessment to determine the appropriate level of care. Then creates a care plan that spells out exactly what services are needed.

Once the care plan has been approved, the home care agency works with you to find the right at-home caregiver. Your elderly loved one will always be able to approve their own care aide, and you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that it’s someone they are comfortable with.

Care Options Beyond Respite Stays

Your elderly loved ones don’t just need care while you’re on vacation. They need care 365 days a year. So why not consider having an at-home caregiver all the time? Once you’re approved for the program, it comes at no cost to you or your family.

And if you’d rather provide the care yourself, why not get paid to do it? Trying to juggle at-home care with the needs of your own household can be stressful.

Consider becoming an at-home caregiver for your elderly loved ones year-round; you can get paid for the care you’re already providing. And reduce the stress of juggling family and a job at the same time.

Home Care Powered by AUAF Has Vacation Care Options for Your Elderly Family Members

Whether it’s occasional respite care or a regular at-home caregiver, Home Care Powered by AUAF provides the highest quality in-home care for your elderly loved ones. Ready to get started? Need some more information? Contact Home Care Powered by AUAF or call us at (773) 274-9262 to find out more about home care options.