Respite Care

Almost everything in hospice is aimed at the patient. Respite is the exception. It exists so the family caregiver can stop — sleep through a night, go to a wedding, have their own surgery, or simply be somewhere that is not this house for a few days.

Some families reach a point where care at home is no longer manageable, and that is not a failure. Medicare covers inpatient respite care — up to five days in a facility — so caregivers can rest and then bring their loved one home.

Caregiver fatigue is real, and it does not announce itself. It shows up as a short temper, a missed dose, a fall that happened because two tired people tried to do a transfer alone. Using respite before you are past the edge is not indulgence. It is what makes it possible to keep going afterward.

Santa Maria Hospice does not run its own inpatient unit. Respite stays happen in a facility we arrange, and we handle the arranging — you are not the one making calls to find a bed.

Your loved one does not change hospice providers for those days. The plan of care follows them, we remain their hospice team throughout, and when the stay ends they come back to the setting they prefer.

A five-day stay is not the only form respite takes, and it is not the one most families use most often. Home health aide visits give you a window to take a walk, run errands, or sleep while someone capable is with your loved one.

Our volunteers also provide companionship and respite, sitting with your loved one for a few hours so you can leave the house. And our social workers talk with caregivers about what is running out — sleep, money, patience, help from other family members — and what can be arranged before it does.

The Medicare Hospice Benefit covers respite care. Medicare may still leave a copayment for a stay in a facility, and we verify your coverage and tell you what applies before it is arranged. Medi-Cal coverage is similar, and most private plans include a hospice benefit.

We never require a financial contribution from your family, and we never turn anyone away for inability to pay. If cost is the reason you have not asked about respite, ask anyway — your social worker can go through your specific coverage with you.