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LuceeLuv Asked July 2020

I'm the sole caregiver of my father who is 93 with moderate stage Alzheimer's. What should I do if I go on vacation?

There is no one else who could come and care for him while I'm away. Is there a place that caters to these type of situations and where should I look? Thank you in advance for any advice.

Sunnygirl1 Jul 2020
I'd look into the covid rates in the facilities in your community. You may want to consider what risks he has going into a facility, even for a short time and the risks to you, when you pick him up.

Is your dad mobile? Is there a chance he may try to leave? A nonsecure facility may be interested in knowing this.

sjplegacy Jul 2020
Both nursing homes and assisted living facilities offer respite care if a bed/room is available. Respite can be available on a day by day or week by week schedule. Call some of your local facilities, or even the one you brought him home from.

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againx100 Jul 2020
Respite care in a nursing home is probably the best option.

notgoodenough Jul 2020
When my husband and I went away last fall, my mom went into a nursing home for respite care. Many facilities offer this option. It is self-pay; if your dad has a long term health care insurance policy, it might cover some/all of the costs.
If you choose to do that, I strongly suggest you be very proactive about arrangements. Here in NY, before anyone is allowed to stay in a nursing home for any reason, an evaluation has to be done within 30 days by an RN at whatever facility the person is in prior to entry into the facility (home, hospital, etc). In the county where I live there are only 2 RN's who do this type of evaluation in someone's home, and I had quite a difficult time getting either of them to commit to coming here (where my mom also resides) to get the evaluation. It's one of the reasons why it's easier to get a person into a nursing home from a hospital rather than from their residences; they have more people to do the evaluations. Other than getting the evaluation, the rest was pretty simple; it was in the same nursing home my mother had been to for rehab after one of her hospital visits, so she was familiar with them, and they with her.
There are also agencies that will offer home-bound care; that is an option for you as well. I was more comfortable placing mom in the NH; you might decide you'd rather have him at home with home care. I have no idea which would be more feasible, economically, for you.
Good luck!

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