What Is Respite Care, and How Can Families Prepare for the First Visit?

If you are the person holding a parent's week together, respite care is the plan for the hours when someone else steps in so you can rest, work, run errands or simply be a family member for an afternoon.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) says it simply: “Respite care provides short-term relief for primary caregivers, giving them time to rest, travel, or spend time with other family and friends.” This guide covers the options, who pays, how to find respite in Texas, and what to prepare before the first visit.

What respite care is

According to the NIA, the care “may last anywhere from a few hours to several weeks at a time” and “can take place at home, in a health care facility, or at an adult day care center.” It can be planned, or it can be emergency care when a caregiver cannot continue for a time.

Respite is not a reflection on the caregiver. The NIA's own guidance is blunt: “All caregivers need a break from time to time. Don’t wait until you’re completely overwhelmed to seek help from family, friends, or professional services.”

Where respite can happen

The Family Caregiver Alliance notes that respite services can be provided “through in-home care agencies, adult day services, facilities that allow short-term stays, individuals you hire directly or from friends and relatives willing to volunteer.”

• At home. The ARCH National Respite Network says “many families prefer respite that is provided in the home,” in part because the person “may be most comfortable in the home setting and does not have to adjust to a different environment.”
• Adult day services. The NIA says adult day care “can provide a much-needed break for caregivers at home” and may offer social activities, exercise, meals, personal care and basic health care services, with some programs providing transportation.
• Short-term stays in a facility. Some assisted living programs and nursing homes offer respite for overnight, weekend or extended stays.

Who pays

The NIA says respite care provided by a friend, relative or volunteer “may have no associated costs,” while professional services “charge by the hour or by the number of days or weeks that services are provided.”

• Medicare covers respite only for a person receiving hospice care. Medicare's hospice booklet says inpatient respite care is available in a Medicare-approved facility and that you “can stay up to 5 days each time you get respite care,” on an occasional basis.
• Medicaid may help in some situations. ARCH notes that each state's eligibility rules and funding differ, so check with your state's Medicaid office.
• Private health insurance usually does not. The NIA says most plans do not cover the costs of respite care, and that some long-term care insurance plans may.
• Area Agencies on Aging can fund respite for some families. The Administration for Community Living lists respite care among the services of the National Family Caregiver Support Program, for adult family members and other informal caregivers of people age 60 and older.

Coverage changes by program and by person. Ask the program or plan directly and get the answer in writing.

Finding respite in Texas

• Eldercare Locator. A public service of the Administration for Community Living that connects older adults and families to local services. The NIA lists it at 800-677-1116.
• Your Area Agency on Aging. Texas HHSC says its 28 Area Agencies on Aging help people age 60 and older, their families and caregivers locate and access community services, including respite care. HHSC's toll-free line for them is 1-800-252-9240.
• Take Time Texas. ARCH describes the Texas Inventory of Respite Services on the Take Time Texas website as “a comprehensive, searchable database of respite providers throughout the state of Texas.”
• The ARCH National Respite Locator. Useful, but ARCH warns that it “is not a complete list of all the respite programs that exist.”

Preparing for the first visit

ARCH's guidance for caregivers is to “create a checklist for the respite provider” and to make clear that you are the primary point of contact. A simple one-page handoff covers most of it.

Make the first visit easier for your parent

• Introduce the idea early. ARCH says, “Introduce the idea of respite well in advance of when you might want to start using it.”
• Overlap before you leave. ARCH suggests having the respite provider “arrive early so that you can plan a smooth transition,” and to include familiar routines and activities in the visit.
• Let your parent choose what they can. ARCH notes that the care recipient can be involved in choosing the location of service, activities or time frames.
• Put valuables and medicines away. For in-home respite, ARCH suggests placing valuables and medication in a safe and discussing whether the provider will have a key or access to home security systems.

Questions to ask any respite provider

If asking for a break feels hard

The NIA acknowledges that “accepting help from others isn’t always easy,” and that many caregivers “later say they did too much on their own, and they wished they had asked for more support from family and friends.” It also says taking time for yourself “can actually make you a better caregiver.”

Its advice on timing is the one to keep: “Don’t wait until you are completely overwhelmed.”

Where Lilly's fits

Lilly's respite care is non-medical support that gives family caregivers time to rest, work, run errands or recharge. Caregivers are not nurses and do not administer medication or provide medical treatment. If you want to see how a first conversation works, how care at home gets started explains it, and our guide to personal care vs. companion care can help you decide what kind of help to ask for. To see where else the week has gaps, building a weekly care plan walks through it.