Something I want to start doing this year and really need to do for my own health is using respite services to take a break and do something for myself.

Respite allows caregivers time away from their duties while someone else comes in to care for your loved one. Breaks are important for any parent or caregiver. It’s stressful and exhausting having all the doctor appointments, therapy, and constant medical needs and attention from my kids. Not to mention the worries that come with having a child with autism.
Caregiver burnout is real and I don’t want it to come to something as serious as that, which is why I’ve started taking time for myself.

I’ve actually been using respite services for a little over two years now, but not what it’s intended for. Usually people use respite to take a nap, clean the house, run errands, etc. When I started bringing in a caregiver two years ago, that’s not what I needed help with. I needed someone to watch my kids while I took the other to a doctor’s appointment.

When it was just my sons Nicholas and Daniel, I would take both of them to their appointments. But it got too hard. Neither of them walked, so I had Nicholas in the stroller and carried Daniel. I couldn’t do it and their pediatrician saw me struggling. He saw that I needed help so he set me up with respite services.

I was able to leave one of them at home with the caregiver, while I took the other to their appointment. It was a really good system and worked well. I could focus 100% on the kid that was with me. These appointments are not just little check-ups and then we’re done. Sometimes there are diagnoses involved, other times we’re talking about new medications or things we’re struggling with. I wouldn’t be able to do it if I had everyone with me.

I hope one day to bring all three kids with me. But since Nicholas and Grace don’t walk on their own yet, it’s incredibly hard. Plus I use the appointments as an opportunity for one on one time with with my kids. The doctor’s office isn’t exactly the best place for one on one time, but sometimes it’s all I have.

With the doctor appointments slowly decreasing, I want to start using this service for what it’s actually intended for. A break. A break from the day to day exhaustion that is taking care of three kids with medical needs. To take a few hours once or twice a month to leave and do something for me. To get things done that I can’t do at home. To sit in a restaurant and not have to inhale my food in 5 minutes.

I’m really excited to just take some time to myself. This is so important to me, because it allows me to regroup and just focus on myself for once. I can’t do a good job taking care of my family if i don’t get enough rest and time away for a little bit. It’s good for both me and my family.