Sarasota Senior AdvisorWhat are the signs of caregiver burnout?
Exhaustion that sleep does not fix, irritability, withdrawal from friends, neglecting one's own health, and feeling that the situation will never change are common signs, and they predict a crisis for both caregiver and parent if nothing changes.
Spouse caregivers in their seventies and eighties, common in Sarasota and Venice, are especially at risk.
Where can I get respite care in Sarasota or Manatee?
Adult day care centers give weekday relief; many assisted living facilities offer short respite stays, which count toward their staffing minimums under rule 59A-36.010; and the Aging and Disability Resource Centers can arrange in-home respite for eligible families.
AHCA licenses 8 adult day care centers in the two counties: Empath Life in Bradenton, Meals on Wheels Plus Adult Day Center in Lakewood Ranch, Town Square Bradenton at University Parkway in Sarasota, Activage Sarasota in Sarasota, Senior Friendship Centers, Inc in Venice, Senior Friendship Centers, Inc in Sarasota, Tina's Adult Day Care in Sarasota, Town Square Sarasota in Sarasota. Several assisted living facilities also run day programs.
Does Medicare pay for respite care?
Only for hospice patients: Medicare's hospice benefit covers up to five days of inpatient respite at a time in an approved facility so the caregiver can rest; otherwise respite is paid privately or through Medicaid, Alzheimer's programs or long-term care insurance.
Ask a hospice about respite as part of the plan of care.
When is it time to move a parent instead?
When the caregiver's health is failing, nighttime care has become constant, or safety cannot be maintained even with help, a move to assisted living or a nursing home protects both people.
The guilt is real; so is the evidence that families stay closer when the caregiver is not exhausted.
Can a caregiver get paid to care for a parent in Florida?
Sometimes: some Florida Medicaid long-term care plans allow participant-directed care, in which the enrollee hires a caregiver, who can be a family member other than a spouse, and the plan pays an hourly wage.
Ask the plan's case manager whether participant direction is available.
Where are caregiver support groups in Sarasota and Manatee?
The Aging and Disability Resource Centers keep current lists of caregiver support groups and education programs, including dementia caregiver groups; call Senior Connection Center at 1-800-336-2226 for Manatee or the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida at 1-866-413-5337 for Sarasota.
Many hospitals and churches in both counties host groups as well.
Sources include Chapters 408, 429 and 651 of the Florida Statutes, Fla. Admin. Code chapters 59A-36 and 65A-2, AHCA, DCF, OIR and Elder Affairs pages, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
