What is respite care, and how does a family caregiver get a break?
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Respite is temporary care that gives a family caregiver a planned break. It can be provided in the home, with a worker taking over for a period, or out of home with a short stay in a facility. It is a service in Georgia's EDWP waiver, written into the care plan.
What respite is
Respite is somebody else doing the caring for a while, so the person who normally does it can stop.
Under the waiver it comes in two forms.
In-home respite. A worker comes to the house and takes over for a block of time. The member stays in familiar surroundings. The caregiver sleeps, goes to their own doctor, sees their own children, or leaves the house without a running clock in their head.
Out-of-home respite. The member stays somewhere else for a short period. This is the form that makes the bigger things possible - a caregiver’s own surgery, a funeral out of state, a week that is not a negotiation.
Who it is for
A member who has a family caregiver providing regular unpaid care. The service is provided to the member; its purpose is to keep the caregiver standing.
Caregiver breakdown is one of the most common reasons a person who was managing at home ends up in a facility. Not a fall, not an illness - the person who was holding it together stopped being able to. Respite exists because that pattern is predictable enough to plan around.
How it gets into a care plan
Raise it during the assessment, and be honest about how much the family is carrying. Case managers ask about the caregiver’s situation for this reason, and understated answers produce understated plans.
Respite goes into the plan of care, which is approved by the member’s physician or by the case management agency’s medical director. The member chooses among available providers, and for out-of-home respite it is worth looking at where the stay would happen before it is needed rather than in the week you need it.
What it does not cover
- It is not long-term placement. Respite is temporary by definition. If the honest answer is that home care is no longer viable, that is a different conversation and it should be had directly.
- It is not unlimited. There are limits in the waiver rules, and a plan written around respite that has been used up does not hold.
- It is not a same-day service. Plan it in advance.
- It is not only for emergencies. The most useful respite is the regular kind that stops the emergency happening.
Questions people ask about this
Is respite for the caregiver or for the member?
Formally the service is provided to the member, because the waiver serves the member. Its purpose is to relieve the caregiver. Both things are true, and there is no need to feel awkward about asking for it on those terms.
What is the difference between in-home and out-of-home respite?
In-home respite sends a worker to the house so the caregiver can leave or rest while the member stays where they are. Out-of-home respite is a short stay somewhere else, which is what makes a holiday or a caregiver's own hospital admission possible.
Can respite be used in an emergency?
Respite is normally planned and written into the care plan in advance, which is exactly why it is worth arranging before you need it. If a caregiver is suddenly unable to provide care, call the case manager immediately, because that is a change in circumstances the plan has to respond to.
Can a caregiver receiving the Structured Family Caregiving stipend also get respite?
Respite and Structured Family Caregiving are separate services and can sit in the same care plan. A caregiver who lives with the member and is paid a stipend still needs rest, and a plan that assumes otherwise is not a realistic plan.
Related questions
- What the waiver covers The services Georgia's EDWP waiver pays for at home, from a personal support worker to home-delivered meals, and how each one gets into a care plan.
- Structured Family Caregiving Structured Family Caregiving pays a stipend to a family caregiver who lives with the member. Who qualifies, who is excluded, and the steps to apply in Georgia.
- Getting paid as a family caregiver The real routes to being paid for caring for an older relative in Georgia: Structured Family Caregiving, waiver personal support, VA programs, and the limits.
- Personal support services Personal support services send a trained helper to the home for bathing, dressing, meals and light housekeeping. Who it is for and how it gets into a care plan.