Medical Respite Care vs. Hospice Respite Care: What’s The Difference?
If your loved one has a complex medical condition, you might be feeling overwhelmed. Navigating the health care system, medical appointments, difficult emotions, and care needs can quickly add up.
If your care recipient requires a high level of care for their illness or is nearing the end of their life, they’re likely receiving treatment or supportive services from medical care professionals. However, you’re likely still providing a lot of care at home. This might be a challenging time for you as a family caregiver. Trualta is here to help. Check if you have free access to educational resources on topics like:
- Respite care
- Care strategies and resources
- Palliative, hospice, and end of life care
- Navigating the healthcare system
- Coming home from the hospital
What Is Respite?
As a caregiver, you may have been told how important it is to take regular breaks. This can be harder to put into practice than it sounds–especially if caregiving has become a well-oiled machine.
Respite care provides caregivers with short-term relief from caregiving responsibilities. These breaks can last from a few hours to a few weeks at a time. They’re designed to give you time to recharge and focus on your own needs. Getting a break can allow caregivers time to:
- Rest
- Exercise
- Care for their own physical and mental health needs
- Be social with friends or family
- Engage in a hobby or leisure activity
- Run errands or attend appointments
- Go on a short trip out of town
If your care recipient is spending time in the hospital or is receiving hospice care, you might think that you don’t need breaks. The truth is, you’re still a caregiver! And caregivers need breaks–especially because there’s so much more to caregiving than direct care tasks.
There are different kinds of respite care options to explore. If your care recipient is receiving hospice, palliative, or medical care, you may be wondering what the best choice is for you both.
Medical Respite Care vs. Hospice Respite Care
What Is Medical Respite Care?
If you’ve tried looking up “medical respite program”, you may have found that it’s a different service than you expected. Medical respite care refers to a service where people experiencing homelessness can receive short term recuperative care in a safe place after a stay in the hospital. A medical respite care program serves homeless patients who no longer are eligible to stay in a hospital but whose health is too fragile to return to living on the street.
A medical respite program is different from respite for caregivers. If you’re looking for respite care that is provided by a skilled health care professional who can care for a medical condition, you may want to search for “skilled respite care” or “skilled nursing respite care”. While every respite program will be different, this option might be good for you if you need a break from caregiving and your care recipient requires support from a trained professional like a:
- Registered Nurse (RN)
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Licensed Nursing Assistant
Respite care may be provided in your home or at a facility. Your state may differentiate regular respite care from skilled respite, or they may not. Before making your decision, check your respite provider’s training and experience to ensure they meet your care recipient’s needs. You’ll also want to check your loved one’s health insurance and explore options for covering costs.
What Is Hospice Respite Care?
If your care recipient is receiving hospice care for a terminal illness, you may be able to access respite care services through their hospice program. These services are arranged and approved by the hospice provider.
Much like other respite services, hospice respite care can give caregivers temporary relief from their caregiving responsibilities. Some people may also use hospice respite care when their loved one’s pain or symptoms can’t be managed at home, and they need to have a short hospital admission. Hospice respite care might involve:
- Care from different people and health care professionals. For example, certified hospice aides, professional nurses, volunteers, family, or another trained medical provider.
- Different locations. Hospice care might be a short hospital stay or in-home respite services.
- Additional services, like counseling or other support services, to help you and your family.
Don’t forget to check if you have free access to Trualta to learn more about ways to make your caregiving journey easier.
References
- https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/hospice-and-palliative-care/what-are-palliative-care-and-hospice-care
- https://nhchc.org/clinical-practice/medical-respite-care/
- https://www.covlivinggreatlakes.org/skilled-nursing-respite-care/
- https://nashp.org/state-medicaid-approaches-to-respite-care-for-children-and-youth-with-chronic-and-complex-needs/
- https://www.compassus.com/for-caregivers/frequently-asked-questions/what-is-hospice-respite-care/
