Do You Feel Guilty Taking Breaks From Caring for Elderly Parents?

Do you feel guilty? That’s what some people have asked a woman who regularly takes her husband, Ron, to an adult day-care center called The Haven. Does she feel like she’s abandoning him? Does she feel selfish?

Absolutely not, she writes at the website for the Craig Daily Press, in Craig, CO. Her husband has a good time and gets both social and mental stimulation, and she gets her respite time.

I can nap or read and know he won’t be calling or needing me to do anything for him for several hours. It’s a sigh of relief, of quietness and calm that I really appreciate and it helps me to mentally recharge and be ready to take care of him all the better and more patiently because my stress level has gone way down.

The writer points out what experts often say: that taking breaks leaves you better able to care for the person you love. If you’d like to learn more about respite-care options, click here.

You may also be interested in:

• Help for Caregiver Guilt: Consider In-Home Care
• When Aging in Place Isn’t an Option: Easing Nursing-Home Guilt

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in health and aging issues. She covers finding and paying for senior care for OurParents. If you have any questions about this post or need help finding senior-care options for a loved one, call 1-866-483-4896 to speak with a care advisor in your area.