Respite care gives a family caregiver planned time away while their loved one stays at home. Ezra Home Care offers respite as regular scheduled breaks, or as live-in or 24-hour care for stays from 3 days to two weeks or longer, so you can rest, travel or handle your own needs without your loved one leaving the house.
Request a free consultation or call 617-527-9000.
Three Ways to Cover Respite
Scheduled respite. A caregiver comes on set days each week, so you get regular, dependable breaks. Billed at our standard hourly rate. See hourly home care.
Live-in respite. Two regular Ezra caregivers take turns covering the stay, one living in at a time. Each day includes 16 hours of active care plus a scheduled rest period for the caregiver, at one daily rate. It suits someone who sleeps through most nights. See live-in home care.
24-hour respite. Caregivers work in awake shifts around the clock, so someone is awake and available at every hour. It suits someone who needs help during the night. See 24-hour home care.
Not sure which fits? We help you decide during your free consultation.
What Respite Care Can Include
- Help with bathing, dressing, grooming and toileting
- Meals, snacks and hydration
- Medication reminders
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Companionship, walks and keeping the usual routine
- Support for people living with dementia (see Alzheimer's and dementia care)
All Ezra care is non-medical.
How to Plan Respite Care
- Call us early. The more notice you give us, the more time we have to match the right caregivers.
- Free consultation. We talk with you about your loved one, the daily routine and the dates you need.
- Choose scheduled, live-in or 24-hour coverage and set the schedule or dates.
- Sign the service agreement. Our Client Services Director then completes an in-home assessment and writes the care plan.
- Leave a written routine: medications, contacts, meal preferences and the daily rhythm.
- Take your break. Our office is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Who Respite Care Is For
- Adult children who care for a parent and need a vacation or a regular break
- A spouse planning a medical procedure or recovery of their own
- Families covering a trip, a wedding or a work commitment
- Families who want to try live-in care before committing to it long term
Our Caregivers
The majority of our caregivers are state-certified Home Health Aides (HHAs) or Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), and every caregiver passes CORI, SORI, OIG and NARC background checks. Ezra has served Greater Boston families since 2008 and is accredited by the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts.
Paying for Respite Care
Respite care with Ezra is private pay: you pay Ezra directly, from any source you choose. We do not bill insurance or work through insurance carriers, and we cannot accept Medicare or Medicaid (MassHealth). If you have long-term care insurance, we send invoices and care notes to your insurer, but we cannot guarantee a claim will be approved. See our guide to home care costs in Massachusetts.
Respite Care FAQ
How long can a respite stay be?
Live-in and 24-hour respite stays start at 3 days and can run two weeks or longer. Scheduled respite runs on regular days each week.
Can respite care become ongoing care?
Yes. Some families keep the same care in place after the respite period.
Do you serve my town?
We serve Newton and its villages, Brookline, Cambridge, Boston, Watertown, Waltham, Wellesley, Needham, Natick, Framingham, Belmont, Lexington, Arlington, Weston, Dedham, Milton, Quincy and surrounding Greater Boston communities. See our service area.
For more ideas on caring for yourself while caring for a parent, read our blog post on caregiver respite.
