Caring for a loved one at home is round-the-clock work. Medications, meals, turning, bathing, watching through the night. Most family caregivers do it willingly, and most of them get worn down doing it. Respite care exists for that reason. It is a short break built into hospice care, so the caregiver can rest while the patient is looked after.
What respite care is
Respite care is temporary care for the patient that gives the primary caregiver time off. Under the Medicare hospice benefit, respite is provided on an occasional basis for up to five consecutive days at a time. The patient stays in a facility setting where nurses manage medications and symptoms, aides handle personal care, and the hospice team stays involved in the plan of care.
At Shining Light Hospice, respite care is arranged at assisted living facilities and group homes in the Las Vegas area. Families use it for different reasons. A caregiver who has not slept properly in weeks. A family wedding out of state. A caregiver’s own surgery or illness. Sometimes it is simply exhaustion, and that is reason enough.
Why caregivers need the break
Caregiver burnout is physical, not just emotional. Missed sleep, skipped meals, lifting and transferring a grown adult several times a day. It adds up, and it often ends with the caregiver getting sick or injured, which helps no one.
A few days of respite lets a caregiver sleep, see their own doctor, handle business that has piled up, or sit in a quiet house for a while. Patients usually understand this better than caregivers do. Many patients worry about the load they place on a spouse or a daughter, and they are relieved when a break is arranged.
What happens during a respite stay
The hospice team prepares the receiving facility before the patient arrives. Medication lists, symptom history, personal routines, and the care plan all go with the patient. During the stay:
- Nurses manage pain and other symptoms and report changes to the hospice team.
- Aides help with bathing, dressing, meals, and mobility.
- The hospice social worker and chaplain remain available to the patient and family.
- The caregiver gets updates and can visit as they wish.
When the respite period ends, the patient returns home and regular home hospice visits resume.
What respite costs
Medicare covers inpatient respite care under the hospice benefit. The patient pays a coinsurance of 5 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for each respite day. If the stay costs, say, $400 a day in Medicare’s approved rate, the patient’s share is about $20 a day. Medicaid and most private insurance plans also cover hospice respite in some form. At Shining Light, we check coverage before care starts, so the family knows the cost before the stay is booked.
One point worth knowing: Medicare covers respite only on an occasional basis, in stays of no more than five consecutive days. It is designed as a pressure valve, not a permanent arrangement. Families who need longer or more frequent help should talk with the social worker about other options.
How to arrange respite care
Start with the hospice nurse or social worker. Tell them honestly how you are doing. Caregivers tend to minimize, and the team cannot plan around a problem they cannot see. Planning a few days ahead works best, since the facility stay has to be scheduled and paperwork completed, but respite can sometimes be arranged quickly when a caregiver has an emergency.
There is no penalty for asking and no limit on asking questions. If the first stay goes well, most families stop dreading the second one.
If you are caring for someone on hospice and you are running on empty, call Shining Light Hospice at 702-906-0044. Our phones are answered around the clock, and we can talk through whether a respite stay would help.
