Respite is Vital for Families Affected by Disability
Posted on April 16, 2013
Respite care is a short break for parents and/or caregivers of individuals with disabilities. It provides time for rest, relaxation, relationship building and recharging. Daily activities that so many people take for granted can be incredibly difficult or even impossible for parents/caregivers of children or adults with disabilities. Grocery shopping, house work, spending time with siblings, date night with spouses, hair cuts, exercise and health needs are just a few of the tasks that can be so challenging for families affected by disability. Providing respite care opportunities can be a huge support to allow families to do these things. Respite can be very simple and done on a small scale. Going to the home of an individual with disabilities for an hour or two while a parent or caregiver gets groceries is something that many of us can do. PURE Ministry can begin in your church in this way, with just a few people! Many churches also offer respite events during evening or weekend hours. Events can range from 2 hours to all day. There are so many different options – but the most important thing is to do something! Two recent studies have looked at families of children and young adults on the autism spectrum and found higher than average stress levels. Respite care is showing up as a very important support system for these families – the parents, the siblings and the child with a disability! Parents are certainly not surprised by these findings. In fact, one parent told me that the researchers could have saved a lot of money and trouble by just asking her!
Consider today how you can reach out to a PURE family through respite care as an individual or as part of your church. Just do it!
See the research here: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/04/08/respite-care-autism-parents/
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http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-013-1812-0
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/01/05/respite-more-beneficial/14714/