In-home care is popular for obvious reasons. The temporary caregiver comes to the regular care receiver’s home, and gets to know the care receiver in his or her normal environment. The temporary caregiver learns the family routine, where medicines are stored, and the care receiver is not inconvenienced by transportation and strange environments. In this model, friends, relatives and paid professionals may be used. Depending on the state, Medicaid or Medicare may be used to help cover costs.
Respite (In-Home) Services means intermittent or regularly scheduled temporary non-medical care (which can be health care financed) and/or supervision provided in the person’s home. In-Home Respite services are support services which typically include:
- Assisting the family members to enable a person with developmental disabilities to stay at home
- Providing appropriate care and supervision to protect that person’s safety in the absence of a family member
- Relieving family members from the constantly demanding responsibility of providing care
- Attending to basic self-help needs and other activities that would ordinarily be performed by the family member