Planning for summer vacations can be complicated at times, especially when a person’s list of responsibilities includes caring for an ailing loved one. Think about it. There are many healthcare problems that may prevent a person from being alone for any extended length of time. Examples include people with dementia, paralysis, advance stage cancers and neuromuscular diseases.

So, what are the alternatives to traveling with an ailing loved one whose health would be further compromised by participation in long distance, summer vacations? For many Americans, the answer is respite care. Respite care comes in many forms. Sometimes it is provided by long-term care facilities, which may be traumatic for individuals accustom to living at home.

Other times, services are delivered in the ailing individual’s home, either by the hour or as part of live-in, in-home care. Live-in care is often the preferred method because it allows medically compromised individuals and their families to build relationships with their caregivers. This is a vital part of the respite care process, especially when trust is an issue.

In order for family members to feel safe and comfortable while on vacation, they must be able to trust surrogate caregivers implicitly. And we all know that such a high degree of trust is not achieved instantly. It is built upon over the course of continuous care. Families must also have time to work with live-in, in-home caregivers to ensure that their surrogates fully understand their loved ones needs.

In some instances, respite care includes medical services and other times it does not. Therefore, it may also be necessary for families to hire additional staff to help care for their loved ones’ medical needs during the course of a family vacation. With that said, to learn more about the types of respite care services available in the , please contact us atHome Matters.