For family caregivers
Respite care for the family member doing this alone
You have been covering the mornings, the appointments, the nights and the worrying. Respite care is someone competent taking the shift so you can leave the house.
A few hours a week, an overnight, or a full week while you travel, across Boston's western suburbs.
Quick answer
Respite care is a trained Kinstead caregiver taking over for a few hours or days so a family caregiver can rest, work or travel. It is for spouses and adult children who provide most of the care themselves. After a hospital discharge, care can usually start within 24 hours. To start, call (339) 888-8686.
- How much respite care do families usually start with?
- Often only a few hours a week. You can add hours later as you see what helps.
- Can veterans get help paying for respite care?
- Some wartime veterans and surviving spouses qualify for help with home care costs. MassOptions at 1-800-243-4636 can point you to a veterans service officer.
- Where does Kinstead provide this care?
- We serve all of Middlesex and Norfolk counties in Massachusetts, excluding Boston. If your ZIP is outside our usual area, call us and we will verify coverage.
- Is Kinstead a medical agency?
- No. Kinstead Home Care is a non-medical home care agency. We do not provide nursing, therapy, wound care or injections, and we do not manage medications.
A few hours a week
The same morning or afternoon each week, so you can book anything else into it with confidence.
Overnight cover
Someone awake or on hand through the night when the nights are the hardest part.
A week away
Continuous cover while you travel, with daily notes so you are not guessing from a distance.
How a handover works
We learn your routine rather than impose ours
Before the first respite visit we sit down with you and write the day out: the order of things, the foods that get eaten, the words that help, the ones that do not.
Caregivers follow the schedule the doctor set, notice when something looks different, and report it the same day. We do not manage medications.
What we cover on your shift
- Personal care: bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting
- Meals and fluids, on the schedule already in place
- Steadying and company on the move around the house
- Companionship, conversation, and getting outside
- A written note covering how the hours went
Scope
What is and is not included
What we provide
- Personal care: bathing, showering, dressing, grooming, toileting and continence support
- Companion care: conversation, social time, supervision and regular check-ins
- Meal preparation, hydration reminders and assistance with eating for someone who can swallow safely
- Light housekeeping, laundry, dishes and general household upkeep
- Transportation and escorted support for appointments, errands and community outings
- Medication reminders that follow the prescriber's schedule, with same-day reporting
- Respite care for family caregivers, from a few hours to overnight cover
- Recovery support after a hospital stay, plus steady day-to-day support for someone living with dementia
What we do not provide
- Two-person or mechanical-lift transfers
- Feeding anyone with a swallowing risk, and never by tube
- Nursing, therapy, wound care, injections or medication administration
- Any case that needs more than one trained caregiver can safely manage
Reading, not selling
Guides for the person doing most of the caring
What Are the Signs of Caregiver Burnout?
Burnout rarely announces itself. It shows up in small changes you might explain away for months.
7 minute readHow Does Respite Care Work?
Respite care is simply scheduled coverage so the person doing most of the caring can step away.
6 minute readHow Do You Plan Time Away When You Are the Caregiver?
Taking real time away takes more planning than a normal vacation, but it is doable with the right groundwork.
8 minute readWhat Support Exists for Family Caregivers in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has a network of programs for unpaid family caregivers, though what is available usually depends on your town and situation.
8 minute readHow Do You Care for a Parent While Raising Children?
Caring for a parent and raising children at the same time puts pressure on the same limited hours in your day.
7 minute read