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By Michelle Murrey of Bryan's House. Often, when meeting with parents or others in the community, I hear the question asked, “What is respite care?” It is unfortunate that this concept is so often unfamiliar, and in many cases, the available resources are unknown. Essentially, respite care is
short term care for children and adults with special needs that can be provided in a client’s homes or in a variety of other settings. Respite care is typically provided by skilled caregivers, such as certified nursing assistants, or other people with training in medically related care. The goal of respite care is to offer families a break from the demands and daily routines related to caring for someone with special needs. The benefit of respite care is that the person offering the care is typically familiar with specialized care, so the family can feel more comfortable leaving their loved one for a few hours or a few days. Typically, caregivers can manage medical needs such as feeding tubes, nebulizer treatments, medication administration, wheelchair transfers, and more. In the Dallas area, there are a few options for respite care through churches, home health agencies, and residential facilities. Just this week, Bryan’s House, a program typically associated with services for people affected by HIV/AIDS, opened their respite care program to children with other special medical needs, such as Autism, cerebral palsy, and Downes syndrome, in addition to HIV/AIDS. The program is also available to the siblings of special needs children. Respite care is currently being offered at Bryan’s House for newborns to 12 year-olds each Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, although additional hours may be available. The cost for this program is based on a sliding-fee scale, with a range of $0-3 per hour of care. For more information regarding the respite care program or other services at Bryan’s House, please look at our information on Boonzee Resources. |
