Respite Care - A Break for Families with Special Needs

Working with parents of children with disabilities made something very clear - too often self-nurturing takes a backseat to the needs and care of the children. Since our children deserve the best, it's to be expected that we give them our all, right? Wrong. The best gift you can give to your family is the BEST version of you. This means self-care has to be a priority. Proper sleep, health, and stress management for yourself should be just as important as the care you give your children.

For families with a disabled family member -  for example developmental disabilities such as Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder - this can be a challenging task. Resources and support are important in this case. Working with families I've found that most families are not aware of Respite Care.
Respite Care is an invaluable resource that provides short-term care (usually a few hours or half a day) for individuals who require special care, to give their long-term caretakers a much needed break. Too often I've seen parents and other family members become overwhelmed and over-stressed because of the immense amount of responsibility on them.

Here are a few things that have helped some of my clients:

• First and foremost, accept that self-nurturing is mandatory. And give yourself permission to take care of YOU
• Look for resources that are available to you - for example, if your child receives SSI benefits for their disability, oftentimes Respite Care funds are a part of that benefit. Contact your Social Security office
• Respite Care services are often disability-specific - look for organizations specific to your situation. One resource that has been a tremendous help to some of the families I've worked with here in South Florida has been UMCARD.org (University of Miami's branch of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities)

The most important this is understanding that as a primary caretaker, you can not be a benefit to your family if YOU are not taken care of. Utilize your resources and take a break to get rest, relax, socialize, have time as a couple, and/or generally have some YOU-time!

- written by Nakya Reeves, LMFT. I am a therapist and owner of a private practice where my main focus is working with families on communication issues, especially the parent-teen relationship. I also utilize PhotoTherapy techniques in my practice, which integrates bringing in photos that the client has taken or collected as a part of the therapy process. I can be contacted any time at csolutionstherapy@gmail.com