Helping a loved one in need can be difficult, time consuming, and stressful. This is particularly true when these tasks are added on top of a career, children, and other responsibilities.
At Assisting Hands Home Care, we offer respite care services in Niles, IL to give family caregivers a much-deserved break. Our caregivers can provide assistance on a short-term or long-term basis and schedule their hours around your needs.
Informal Caregiving
By “informal caregiving”, we are referring to family members who care for a loved one in need. We call it “informal” because it is not a paid arrangement, and caregiving is not necessarily their chosen profession.
These scenarios result in a shocking statistic that you should be aware of if you are an informal caregiver: Roughly 25% of all informal caregivers report that they are in poor or fair health. This can be boiled down to several key reasons:
- Informal caregiving services are provided on top of an already full schedule, resulting in minimal to no time for leisure.
- It can be extremely stressful to care for a loved one who struggles with seemingly simple tasks.
- Providing informal care often leads to insufficient levels of sleep.
If you feel bad for wanting to take a break, you are not alone. Tens of millions of adults across the United States care for an ailing family member, and many of them have the same thoughts. It is reasonable and expected to need time off.
