Assisted Living and Respite Care in Fairhope AL: – Mom Gets a Mini-Vacation at the Local Assisted Living Facility While the Family is at the Beach

November 8, 2013 by ·

One of the biggest challenges facing assisted living caregivers who are giving full time care to a senior loved one is finding time to relax, and enjoy some time off.  Because of the demands of their immediate family and their senior parent they can burnout quickly if they don’t take a break occasionally.  That’s where respite care, and short-term residence in an assisted living facility can provide a break for a primary caregiver.  The caregiver may start showing signs of caregiver stress.  Some of the signs of caregiver stress that indicate that you need a break are: not getting enough sleep, weight gain or weight loss, short temper, depression, taking up bad habits like smoking and/or heavier drinking.  These are just some of the signs that a primary caregiver is feeling stressed out, and needs a break. Elderly Woman and Younger Woman

While moving even temporarily to an assisted living facility can be traumatic to a senior, but  they will probably understand the need for a break. To avoid feelings of abandonment they must be made to understand that this is only temporary, and you need a little time off to recharge your batteries.  Caregiver burnout is a real and potentially deadly condition and needs to be addressed. The sooner you talk to a senior loved one about respite care the better they will feel about the situation when it does arise.

Some assisted living facilities can actually be like a little vacation to a senior.  If you shop around enough you can certainly find an assisted living facility that has a whole range of activities planned daily for seniors who have different levels of physical activity due to injury, or illness.  For example some facilities may sponsor trips to a mall, or to a part of a city where shopping is the main activity.  If a senior is still active enough to participate in these activities they can actually have fun, and make new friends.  They may even make a friend at the facility that they will want to visit regularly.  A temporary move to an assisted care facility doesn’t have to be looked at negatively by a senior loved one.  They should look at it as a way to make new friends and possibly get some more physical activity.

After a period of time the senior parent may need a break from the primary caregiver.  Some resentment may start forming as the situation drags on into months and years.  After a while you decide that you both need a break from each other, so you have to come to an agreement about how the elder care will be provided.  In many instances the best solution for seniors still living in their homes will be in-home respite care.  In this arrangement the senior stays in their home, and a nursing aid or other homecare professional will come in and replace the assistance of the primary caregiver from a few days to several weeks.  This lets the senior stay in their homes, which they are comfortable in, and familiar with.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Assisted Living, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living  in Fairhope  AL,  at 251-317-3017.

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About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
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