Respite Care
Mon., May 4, 02:03 PM
It’s called respite care — a program of caring for a chronically ill patient so that the regular caregivers can get a rest from the daily grind. I have looked into several types of respite care for my Husband, with varying results.
I would love to place him in some luxurious facility for a week, but it is very expensive. I talked to the Veterans Administration Medical Center in our city, but their respite care is limited to patients whose disabilities were the result of their military service. He is not eligible for that. They referred me to another VA place that would be perfect — the patient is allowed several weeks of “vacation” per year, and the cost is completely covered by the VA. Alas, it is undergoing renovations and not accepting any new patients.
The Day Center where Husband goes each day is affiliated with a nursing home with a respite care program, and the monthly newsletter suggested that anyone interested should phone. I did so and found out that I was supposed to contact a different person; that one never got back to me. (I have found out since that she listens to her voice messages and reads her e-mail but never calls back!)
However, I am not looking for a random week at this point. On the day that I am going for surgery, there will be no one at home to care for Husband, nor to get him ready to be picked up for day care. So I wrote once more and followed it up with phone calls. Then, of course, we had to extend his stay because the procedure was postponed. Somehow we managed to set the whole thing up and sign the papers (early, because no one from admissions is there on Sunday). On Saturday we packed, and on Sunday morning U.D. and I brought Husband, plus medications, oxygen and clothing, to the respite center, where he was set up quite well in a comfortable private room with bath. We made sure he was comfortable, and… we were free till Wednesday!
We just couldn’t waste a free Sunday. U.D. drove my sister and me to visit my niece and her two children, whom I had never met. It was a very pleasant afternoon, the kids seemed to enjoy it too, and the dog was adorable. (Well, dogs are, especially when you’re not the one who has to clean up after them!)
On Tuesday morning U.D. and I will go to the out of town hospital at 6 a.m., and the doctors will do what they can for me. I will eventually let you know how everything turned out. I am optimistic, especially because a load of worry has been taken off my mind. I can concentrate on the job at hand.
