Gary Barg, Editor-in-Chief
Now that the summer is in full swing, it is time to consider how to give a break to the most important person in your loved one’s life – you. Since 2001 we have spent each summer sharing tips and techniques to help caregivers take the respite they need (and deserve). Now I don’t mean a week-long all-expense paid vacation to the Caribbean (even though cruise ships are starting to cruise once again). What we are talking about is learning to factor respite into your daily life, in any way possible, as you take care of your loved ones.
The goal of The Summer of Respite 2022 is to achieve one day of Covid-19 safe respite per week for the rest of the summer. It can be in-home respite, day-away respite or mental bubble bath respite. As long as you collect an entire day, a whole day at a time or hour by hour, it makes no difference.
And you know what? If all of us 67.7 million caregivers take advantage of The Summer of Respite 2022 that would equal almost 700 million Total Respite Days. Can you think of a better way to enter the fall.
Share your respite tips in the comments section below and I'll highlight some favorites within my blog in the coming weeks. If everyone posts their favorite tips, I’m sure there will be plenty of interesting ideas for all of us to add to our own lists. For those who think that respite is an impossible dream, I’m going to jump-start this list with great ideas from family caregivers.
From Mary: Before I start out each day, I set a specific time for just me. My best time is at 7:00 p.m. when my day is done. I sit down and pamper myself. I get in a relaxed mood, make myself a nice dinner, sit back and take care of me. By the time I am ready to go to bed, I am mentally satisfied with my accomplishments of the day. I cuddle in for the night, thank God for my abilities and for the day He gave me, and then I go to bed to sleep tight until morning. My philosophy is "You cannot care for someone else until you first care for yourself."
From Jan: I get up at 6 AM, make myself a pot of tea, and sit and read a few chapters of a book. This is my time, so I only do something for me for an hour. My husband usually does not wake until 8, so this early morning gives me my daily respite. I also take about 30 minutes after I get him in bed at night, have a mug of hot milk and read again.
As Mary and Jan prove, respite is something that can be achieved at home on a daily basis and does not necessarily mean taking a trip away. Although, that would be nice, too.
So check out some of our respite articles on caregiver.com and send us your tips for the Summer of Respite 2022 in the comments box below.