How Trying Assisted Living with a Short Respite Stay Could Answer Your Questions
Caregiving for an aging parent, relative or friend can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. However, it also can be stressful and hard on both the primary caregiver and the person receiving the care. As part of the sandwich generation, more adults are finding themselves providing care to an aging parent or relative, while at the same time holding a job and caring for their own immediate family. Ongoing demands such as doctor appointments, grocery shopping, cooking and more times two, plus juggling personal schedules can strain even the most resilient individuals.
To avoid caregiving fatigue or burnout, respite care is an ideal way to take a break for caregivers. Additionally, if the topic of assisted living has been brought up but met with doubt or resistance, this can be an opportunity for the person receiving care to have a trial run living in a retirement community for a short duration. They may be delightfully surprised with the newfound independence and more structured social opportunities that are available versus living in their current home.
What is respite care?
Respite care provides flexible, short-term relief for a primary caregiver to promote balance in their life, offering them time to rest, travel, or attend to their own medical care or mental health. Respite care also benefits the person receiving the care, providing a welcome change of routine, different people to talk with, a variety of activities and more.
Several types of respite care are available, including in-home care or adult day care. However, these two options may not provide sufficient care or span enough time of the day. Within a retirement community that offers assisted living community, respite care can provide an array of services:
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- Assistance: personal care, activities of daily living, medication management, staff available 24/7 to meet needs
- Comfortable private room: home-like environment providing safety and security
- Companionship & community life: social, educational and cultural programs from which the guest can decide to participate in with other residents at their own leisure
- Meals: a variety of dining options offering balanced, nutritious dishes cooked on-site
- Transportation: to doctors appointments and sometimes even local shopping
How does a respite stay work?
Caregivers interested in respite care at Moravian Manor Communities can meet with our admissions staff for a tour, discuss needs and determine a length of stay, spanning from a few days to a few weeks. Our short-stay residents stay in one of our furnished assisted living rooms or suites and enjoy all the same amenities that full-time residents enjoy, including:
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- Community living room with activity kitchen
- Gathering spaces with fireplaces
- Dining options include the Maple View Dining Room, Gallery Café or take-out meals
- Outdoor courtyards and front porch
- Personalized door-to-door mail delivery and daily door-to-door newspaper delivery
- Access to physical, occupational, and speech therapy services
- Housekeeping, linen and towels, laundry service available
- Laundry room on each floor for residents who desire to do their own laundry
- Campus Center with a salon, chapel, library and computer center and more
Test Drive Assisted Living at Moravian Manor Communities with a Respite Stay
We understand that moving a loved one to a retirement community can come with mixed emotions. With a respite stay, you can feel more informed and confident in the care they’ll receive having met staff, and enabling your loved one an opportunity to meet residents and experience life in assisted living first-hand.
To learn more about respite care in the Baer Center for Assisted Living at Moravian Manor Communities, call our admissions team at 717-626-0214, email admissions@moravianmanor.org or complete and send a contact request form.