Is he in the system with the VA? The VA does have respite programs. And if he has what is classified as "Service connected disability" you can get more help and more services. If you are planning a trip soon you might not have time to get a lot of help through the VA but it is worth a call to the the ball rolling. In the mean time most Assisted Living or Memory Care facilities will take someone in for respite. The idea is to get them used to the facility and get you to realize that it is a safe and pleasant place to place your Loved One with it comes time to consider placement full time.
Hi! The VA has a lot of resources for vets and their families. They set me up free respite care for up to 10 hours a week. Unfortunately, it can seem like a steel fortress to make contact and get services started sometimes. We initially made an appointment with his GP at the VA hospital, and he set up the respit care. That’s also the way to set up homecare - PT, OT, nurse visiting home, etc.
Through trial and error, I found you can call the VA crisis line even if you’re just frustrated with trying to get a service, and they will get you connected with a social worker within a few days.
The respite care didn’t work out for me, mostly because the caregivers were not physically strong enough to do heavy lifting, but also because I found it so stressful(!) My hubby is dealing with extreme anxiety. As much as I would enjoy getting away, having a stranger there instead of me only exasperated the situation.
Hope you get the help you need and deserve!
On a related note, anyone know how to get respite care for someone on peritoneal dialysis? I do the exchanges for him 4x/ day. We are going on 3 years in November...
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The VA does have respite programs.
And if he has what is classified as "Service connected disability" you can get more help and more services. If you are planning a trip soon you might not have time to get a lot of help through the VA but it is worth a call to the the ball rolling.
In the mean time most Assisted Living or Memory Care facilities will take someone in for respite. The idea is to get them used to the facility and get you to realize that it is a safe and pleasant place to place your Loved One with it comes time to consider placement full time.
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Through trial and error, I found you can call the VA crisis line even if you’re just frustrated with trying to get a service, and they will get you connected with a social worker within a few days.
The respite care didn’t work out for me, mostly because the caregivers were not physically strong enough to do heavy lifting, but also because I found it so stressful(!) My hubby is dealing with extreme anxiety. As much as I would enjoy getting away, having a stranger there instead of me only exasperated the situation.
Hope you get the help you need and deserve!
On a related note, anyone know how to get respite care for someone on peritoneal dialysis? I do the exchanges for him 4x/ day. We are going on 3 years in November...