Respite care provides care for the caregiver, not the care recipient. If you help bathe or dress your elderly loved one, take care of their household chores, prepare their meals, manage their medications, handle their bills – duties that allow them to continue to live at home and not in a facility – you are a caregiver. Respite care allows you to take care of your own physical, social and emotional health by giving you a “respite” – a short period of rest or relief.

Caring for a senior is hard work, and you simply can’t do everything. If you are the primary caregiver, there are times when you might feel overwhelmed. You’ve forgotten to pay your own electric bill. You keep putting off that trip to the dentist. You have your own medical emergency. The list of errands you must run keeps growing longer.

It is important that the relationship between you and your loved one includes personal, quality time and that you avoid negativity. If things become too stressful, it is time for a break.

ou can always hire someone to take care of your loved one while you take some time off, but why not think outside the box? Imagine bringing your senior loved one’s vintage memories to life again – those times down the shore when Elvis was on the jukebox and root beer floats were on the counter.

Town Square is a revolutionary adult day care facility designed to replicate America in the 1950s, complete with different storefronts like Rosie’s Diner and the Starlight Theater. Based on reminiscence therapy, our adult day services provide a blast to the past, recreating the youth of today’s seniors, which invokes memories from some of the best times of their lives.

The physical and emotional challenges of taking care of an elderly loved one can be rewarding, but it is important to take time to recharge your own batteries. You are human, and need time for yourself. By taking a break from the demands of being a caregiver, you will return to your loved one refreshed, ready to face the future while embracing the past.