Respite Care in Lincoln, NE
Respite care in Lincoln, NE, gives family caregivers a real break while their loved one keeps getting good care at home. A Home Care Partners Caregiver comes to the house and takes over the day-to-day care for a while, so you can step away, take care of your own life and get some rest. Your loved one stays right where they are, in their own home, with their own routine, their own chair and their own kitchen. Home Care Partners is locally owned, and we provide in-home respite care in Lincoln, NE, and all across Lancaster County, whether you need a few hours here and there or help on a regular schedule. It's help for the person who's been doing all the helping.
What Respite Care at Home Looks Like
Lincoln has more than 46,000 residents age 65 and older, and over 19,000 of them are 75 or older. A lot of those older adults have a husband, a wife, a daughter or a son doing the cooking, the driving and the worrying, day after day.
Respite care at home gives that person someone to hand things off to. One of our trained Caregivers comes in for a set amount of time and takes over the daily care. Your loved one keeps their own home, their own routine and the surroundings they know, and you get time for work, appointments, errands, family responsibilities or plain old rest.
Most respite care for elderly parents in Lincoln happens as a short stay in a care community, often for a week or more, with a bag to pack and a new room to get used to. In-home respite is the other option. Your mom or dad sleeps in their own bed and eats at their own table, and you come home to find them comfortable and cared for, right where you left them.
How Our Caregivers Help While You Take a Break
A respite visit brings the same everyday help our Caregivers give families all over Lincoln. What your loved one needs depends on them, and a visit can include a little from each of these lists.
Companion support
- Companionship and emotional support
- Meal preparation
- Medication reminders
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Errands
- Going along to appointments and social events
Each of these is covered in more detail on our page about companion care in Lincoln, including the rides to appointments and the extra eyes on safety around the house.
Personal care
- Dressing and grooming
- Toileting and incontinence care
- Moving from bed to chair
- Help with eating
- Help with walking
Hands-on help like this is part of our assisted living at home services, and our Caregivers give it with respect for your loved one's privacy and dignity. They also keep an eye on how your loved one is doing and pass any concerns along to our Care Manager, so you hear about anything that came up while you were out.
Respite for Families Caring for Dementia, Parkinson's or Stroke Recovery
Nearly 13 million Americans care for someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia without pay, and 59% of them report high or very high emotional stress. Two out of three live in the same house as the person they care for, so the caregiving keeps going long after dinner.
Dementia respite care in Lincoln builds on the memory care we provide at home, where our Caregivers help with daily living activities and keep your loved one active, safe and engaged. We encourage family caregivers to talk with us about respite care to avoid burnout.
Parkinson's affects movement and balance, which can make it hard to leave a loved one alone even for an hour. Each of our Caregivers completes Parkinson's-specific training, and our in-home care for Parkinson's covers help with walking, moving from bed to chair and medication reminders while you're away.
Stroke survivors often need help with daily tasks and with the exercises that rebuild strength. Our stroke recovery care at home brings in a Caregiver for personal care, meals, exercise routines and good conversation, so the routine keeps going while you take a break.
A hospital stay can turn a family's week upside down. Our help with the move from hospital to home includes personal care, meals, medication reminders and rides to follow-up appointments, which gives you time to catch your breath during those first days back.
Signs It May Be Time for a Break
Seven in ten family caregivers also hold down a job, and one in five say their own health is poor. Families who could use a break often find themselves in one of these spots:
- You're caring for your husband or wife on your own, the way Eugene was his wife's only Caregiver after her fall.
- You're balancing a job with a parent's care, like Blake, who often felt overwhelmed trying to keep up with his career and his dad's needs.
- Your family lives out of town and can't be there to help day to day.
- You're starting to feel overwhelmed by how much help your loved one needs.
Taking a break is part of caring well for someone you love. Lorraine's sons got to spend their time with her as loving sons again once our team stepped in after she broke her ribs in a fall.
Our team is not only dedicated to offering exceptional care, but to be your support system. We believe in going above and beyond by not only providing reliable senior home care but also being a source of comfort and assistance for families. We understand the challenges you may encounter, and we are here to help.
Over the past 5 years, Home Care Partners has been fortunate enough to receive multiple awards in recognition of our commitment to excellence. We are proud to have been named a top 3 local business in the highly esteemed Lincoln’s Choice Awards for three years.
Scheduling Respite Around Your Family
A respite schedule can be as light as a few hours of help or as steady as Part-Time or Full-Time Home Care. Some families want a Caregiver for a few hours a day, and others want a few days a week, maybe a standing Tuesday so you can keep your own appointments.
Our team works with you to create a care plan that brings in the help you need and restores some balance to your family's week. You give the direction of care you want for your loved one, and we build the plan around their routines, abilities and goals.
Our Care Management team coordinates between your family, our Caregivers and your loved one's other healthcare providers, so respite visits fit around doctor visits and therapy sessions and everyone works from the same plan.
The plan can change as your family's needs change. A care plan can be reassessed as your loved one's situation shifts, so a few hours of respite each week can grow into ongoing home care built on the plan you already have.
Paying for Respite Care in Nebraska
Families ask about cost early on, and a few public resources are good to know about here in Nebraska.
Medicare covers respite care only inside its hospice benefit, when the hospice team arranges a short inpatient stay in a facility so the caregiver can rest. The patient may pay 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for that stay. Medicare generally won't pay for respite for a parent living at home who isn't in hospice.
The Nebraska Lifespan Respite Program can pay up to $125 a month toward planned respite, and up to $2,000 more per eligibility period is available for exceptional circumstances like a crisis, through a separate application. That respite can happen at home, in the community or in a facility. Caregivers qualify when they care for someone without pay, need a break, and either live with that person or care for them in their home at least four hours a day, Sunday through Saturday. The program is for families who aren't getting, or eligible for, respite through another government program, and the respite can't be used while you're at work.
The Nebraska Lifespan Respite Network has regional respite coordinators across six service areas of the state who help caregivers find respite resources near them. They're a good first stop for sorting out what your family might qualify for.
A Locally Owned Team Serving Lincoln and Lancaster County
Leaving your loved one with someone new takes trust. Home Care Partners is locally owned, our Caregivers receive comprehensive training, and they work to establish strong relationships with your loved one. We're proud to have been named a top 3 local business in the Lincoln's Choice Awards for three years.
Our co-founder, Andrew Carlson, knows the family side of this, too. His family cared for several aging relatives, and when his grandmother had a fall, they brought in home care so she could finish her therapy in the house she'd lived in for decades. He saw firsthand how much that help meant for the whole family, and you can meet him and the rest of our team.
We provide respite care in Lincoln, Waverly, Hickman, Bennet, Firth, Malcolm, Hallam, Panama, Roca, Denton, Raymond, Sprague, Davey and all of Lancaster County.
Getting Started With Respite Care
The first step is a free Care Assessment. It's a full review of your loved one's physical, mental, home and financial picture, and it helps spot any possible risks to their safety. Our team then works with your family to build a care plan that fits.
Take your time deciding, and bring every question you have. You can Get Started with a free Care Assessment whenever you're ready, and a caring staff member from our office will follow up with information and pricing, plus answers to whatever is particular to your family's situation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Respite Care
What is in-home respite care?
In-home respite care is short-term help from a professional Caregiver at home. The Caregiver steps in for a set amount of time so the family caregiver can take a break, and their loved one keeps getting support in the comfort of their own home.
Does Home Care Partners provide respite care in Lincoln?
Yes. A Home Care Partners Caregiver assists your loved one at home, which gives you time for work, appointments, errands, family responsibilities or rest. We serve Lincoln and all of Lancaster County, including Waverly, Hickman, Bennet and the surrounding towns.
What does a Caregiver do during a respite visit?
A Caregiver can help with companionship, meals, medication reminders, light housekeeping, laundry, errands and going along to appointments. Personal care is available too, such as dressing, grooming, toileting, moving from bed to chair, eating and walking.
Can respite care help if my loved one has dementia?
Yes. We encourage family caregivers of people living with Alzheimer's or another dementia to talk with us about respite care to avoid burnout. Our memory care Caregivers help with daily living activities and keep your loved one active, safe and engaged at home.
Does Medicare pay for respite care?
Medicare pays for respite only as part of hospice. It covers a short inpatient respite stay in a facility when the hospice team arranges it, and the patient may pay 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for that stay.
Is there help paying for respite care in Nebraska?
Nebraska's Lifespan Respite Program can pay up to $125 a month toward planned respite for eligible unpaid family caregivers, with up to $2,000 more per eligibility period for exceptional circumstances such as a crisis. The Nebraska Lifespan Respite Network's regional coordinators help caregivers find respite resources near them.
How do we get started?
Start with a free Care Assessment. Our team reviews your loved one's needs and any possible risks, then works with your family to create a care plan, and that plan can be reassessed as your loved one's needs change.
