Respite Care

Caring for someone you love around the clock is an act of deep love, and it is often physically and emotionally exhausting. Part of you may know you need rest. Another part may feel guilty even thinking about stepping away.

AlēvCare Hospice offers respite care to give caregivers short, planned breaks while your loved one remains under hospice care, supported by a team that knows them and their needs.

Explore Respite Care Services
Call (469) 630-2538 to speak with our hospice team

What Respite Care Is

Respite care is a short-term stay usually up to five days at a time, in a facility such as a contracted nursing facility or inpatient hospice unit. During this time, your loved one continues to receive hospice care while you take a needed break.

Key points about respite care:

• Your loved one remains a hospice patient throughout the stay
• The hospice team continues to oversee the plan of care
• The purpose is caregiver relief, not “sending someone away
• After the respite stay, your loved one returns home or to their usual place of residence

Respite is part of the hospice benefit for many patients and is an important way to support the entire family, not just the person who is ill.

Why Respite Care Matters for Families

Caregivers often push themselves past their own limits: sleeping less, lifting more, skipping meals, and carrying heavy emotions. Over time this can lead to exhaustion and burnout, physical strain or injury, irritability or tension in relationships, and trouble thinking clearly when important decisions arise.

Respite care gives you space to:

• Catch up on rest, sleep, and your own medical appointments
• Spend time with other children or family members
• Take care of errands you have been postponing
• Simply breathe, grieve, and regroup

When caregivers are supported, they are better able to be present and patient in the moments that matter most.

How Respite Care Works With Hospice

Respite is not a separate program, it is part of the hospice care plan.

When respite care is used:

• Your loved one is transferred to a contracted facility for a short stay
• Hospice coordinates with the facility and continues to oversee the plan of care
• Medications, comfort measures, and daily routines are maintained as closely as possible
• You remain informed and can visit as you are able and comfortable

Our team works to make the transition as smooth as possible, so your loved one feels secure and you feel confident they are in good hands.

When to Consider Respite Care

Many caregivers wait until they are completely exhausted to ask about respite. It is okay and wise to plan for support earlier.

Respite care may be helpful when:

• You feel physically worn down or are managing health concerns of your own
• You have an important appointment, event, or obligation you cannot postpone
• Family tensions are rising due to fatigue
• You are having trouble thinking clearly due to lack of rest
• You notice yourself feeling more irritable, tearful, or numb

Respite is not a sign that you are failing. It is a way to sustain the care you are giving.

Steps To Start Respite Care

We keep the process clear and collaborative, so respite feels supportive, not dissruptive.

1. Talk With Your Hospice Team
   Share how you are doing and why a break might help. Your nurse or social worker can help determine whether respite is appropriate.
2. Plan the Respite Stay
   Together, we identify timing, location, and details of the stay, including medications and personal items.
3. Use the Time to Rest and Reset
   While your loved one is in respite care, you are encouraged to rest, attend appointments, spend time with family, or simply be still. When the respite stay ends, we coordinate their return and resume regular hospice visits.

You remain part of every decision. Nothing is done without your understanding and consent.