Respite for family caregivers

Book it before you need it

The most common way respite fails is that it gets left until the family caregiver is already in crisis. At that point the person needing care has never met us, nothing has been handed over, and the break becomes another thing to manage.

Starting with a short regular visit while things are still under control means that when you actually need three days, we already know the household, and the person we are caring for already knows us.

Actually leave

Respite where the family caregiver stays in the next room, listening, is not respite. Go out. Sleep. See someone. We will call you if we need you.

Support that is not us

British Columbia has real support for family caregivers, and none of it requires hiring anyone:

• Family Caregivers of British Columbia: a provincial support line, peer groups and practical guidance, free.
• Your health authority’s home and community care team: publicly subsidised respite, including facility-based respite beds, following an assessment.
• Alzheimer Society of B.C.: First Link, education and support groups if the person you care for has dementia.

We would rather you knew about all of it.