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Believe it or not, but respite care is actually a very broad term. It basically translates to any kind of relief away from caring from somebody else. Before going further, it is also important to clarify the word carer too. A carer in the eyes of the Government and local authorities is not someone paid to do the duty of looking after people, but simply someone who looks after a friend or family member. They can provide this care for a number of reasons including their age, a physical or mental disability, a health condition or even an addiction such as drugs or alcohol. Anyone can be a carer, a parent looking after a child with learning difficulties is only one such example. At the same, anyone who is a carer can seek respite care if they feel they need it. So, going back to the initial topic of respite care now, if we look deeper into the meaning and take the dictionary definition of respite, it means a short period or break from something particularly difficult or unpleasant. Now, while we would never say taking care of a family member was unpleasant, it can certainly be a difficult job at times, especially if you happen to be juggling work responsibilities, have young children to take care of, and also have your elderly family members to look after on top of everything else. Nobody wants to shy away from their duties, but from time to time it really is vital to consider whether the option of respite care is available for you and your family members. The last thing you really need is for you to go a prolonged period of time without any kind of break or rest, as you will then be unable to provide the kind of support that the rest of your family need. Therefore, it is really important to consider the options when it comes to respite care. Respite care is not only limited to the person having to go somewhere either, there are a number of options available. Residential respite care, is probably the one most people think of, as it is where the person does go away to stay for a while, in a home or other environment where they can receive the necessary care whilst the person who usually looks after them has a chance to relax, or at least get on with other duties that they were finding it increasingly hard to keep on top of. From time to time, the carer themselves may find that they become very sick or ill and unable to carry out their duties, in this case something called emergency respite care is useful as this type of care is specifically designed to deal with such unforeseen circumstances. Other forms of respite care include domiciliary care, where support is actually provided in the person’s home to provide a little assistance to the main carer each day, and day centre care where the person who is being looked after simply visits a centre for a few hours a day, or week in order to give the main carer a chance to carry out any other duties that they need to do. So, if you take care of a family member who needs a lot of care each day, it is well worth investigating your options in regards to respite care, after all if you end up making yourself feel sick, it is of no benefit to anyone; is it? From time to time a carer needs a break from their responsibilities. This article looks at respite care and the options it presents people who take care of ill family members. To learn more about respite care visit Helping Hands.
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