For many, the challenges of caring for a loved one are part of daily life. Caregiving is a demanding, difficult job and no one is equipped to do it alone. Getting help is essential for your health, and your resilience is critical for your loved one.

Respite Care is a service which offers temporary, substitute supports or living arrangements for older persons in order to provide a brief period of relief or rest for family members or other caregivers. A family caregiver is “an adult family member or another individual, who is an “informal” provider of in-home and community care to an older individual”. “Informal” means that the care is not provided as part of a public or private formal service program. Working with family members or friends may be difficult, but here are many respite care options and strategies that you may not be aware of.

Financial assistance is available from Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging for respite services. This program covers primary caregivers for individuals who are not in an institutional setting. Priority is given to caregivers providing care to individuals with the greatest economic or social need. The Caregiver and the Care Recipient must live within the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Agings 18 county service area.

Start the process to get a much-needed break, call 1-800-779-8707.