What’s the best support a caregiver could receive?

I am participating in the OpenIDEO’s end-of-life challenge and my idea made the top 50 cut.

The challenge is to reimagine the end-of-life experience for ourselves and for our loved ones. I focused on the end-of-life experience as a caregiver, and the importance of respite care. When caregivers become burned out, everyone suffers. Everyone needs a break, and the end of life can be a longer road than expected. That’s why I submitted the idea of Respite Care Share, which would offer free or discounted vouchers that caregivers could use at hotels and on vacation rental services like Airbnb. Caregiving assistance while the caregiver is away would also be part of the package.

While Medicare covers an allotment of respite care days, and will place a patient in a facility during the respite care period, I found that respite care can be restricted depending upon if there are available beds in a participating facility. Even if you can place your loved one in a facility or find appropriate home care, a nearby weekend getaway can help clear the mind and renew the spirit.

Now I need your help in propelling the idea forward.

The idea as it stands now is that the caregiver respite vouchers would be presented as the centerpiece of a caregiver care package. These packages would include vouchers for respite care and other services, such as massage and other spa services, yoga classes and other personal enrichment services that focus on relaxation.

If you would be so kind as to respond to this 3-question survey, I would greatly appreciate it:

Caregiver Appreciation Survey

Feel free to leave comments on this post as well and share the survey link with other caregivers.

Bottom line, whether you are a current, former or future caregiver, how likely would you be to use respite care vouchers? Is there another form of caregiver support you would rather receive? What else would you want to know about the program?