What Does Respite Care Mean?

The term refers to a short-term and temporary care which may last from a few hours to a few weeks. Taking care of a sick or disabled person instead of somebody is done to provide help when rest and relief are needed by the caregiver, who is a family member most of the times.

The term is very often used together with such concepts as custodial care, which is a non-medical care and means helping people with their daily activities. Long-term care insurance on the other hand may be seen as a prolongation of the respite care which has a legal form of an insurance contract.

Respite Care Explained

The main obstacle why people may hesitate to use a respite care facility is that family members usually do not want to leave a loved person to be taken care of by a foreign man. Nevertheless, it is evident that resting and making a pause are essential for a caregiver in order to detach oneself from the stresses caretaking involves as well as to prevent episodes of indolence, forgetfulness or abuse.