Hello......Yes....Yes....Yes....my friend you are abslutely doing the right thing !! I know from my own experience you do indeed feel guilty but look beyond that and think of how much better you'll feel. Remember in order for you to do your job as your grandmother's caregiver YOU need to be feeling well ! So....don't look back....your Grandmother will be in excellent hands.....and ENJOY your break !!!

Hugs a million, Patricia :-)

Gwen21 is right on target! You need to enjoy yourself so that when you come back you will be reenergized! Before you can take care of someone else, you have to take care of yourself! Just think, both of you will have something new to talk about when you return.

Take the break and don't look back. A nursing home is a perfect setting for good care for your grandmother while you take some respite time. I placed my wife in a local nursing home several times over the past few years for 7-10 days at a time so that I could take a respite vacation. Yes, I had some guilt when I did so, but I also knew that I needed the break away from caregiving, and at the time the nursing home was my only option for good care while I was gone.

Because your grandmother will be well taken of you can enjoy your vacation without worry or concern. There's nothing wrong with feeling guilty, just don't let it interfere with your vacation. So make your plans, enjoy your time off, refresh yourself and don't look back until your vacation is over with. You might just find you don't want to wait several more years before taking another respite vacation.

Hugs, Dan

wow! Enjoy your time off!! We all envy you! Everything will be OK, just relax and enjoy this time!

I think guilt is a big part of caregiving in one way or another and is a normal response. Hang in there and know your respite time is what's best. I have been blessed that as bad as hubbys copd and heart issues are that I haven't needed a respite since quitting work. With the exception of his extreme flares of illness and mental issues, most days I've been able to whittle enough me time in. I know that as his diseases get worse I will have to find time for longer respite and I will also carry that darn guilt. Please enjoy your down time, you deserve it.

Lots of hugs,
Sandy

Hi

Wonderful idea and think as both of you going on vacation but to different places. When you meet again you'll catch up on stories and maybe she'll complain a bit. You've been doing this for several years,, so no, don't feel guilty.


Go, enjoy, recharge yourself,

Alma

Thank you to all of you!!! You are wonderful, beautiful people and I appreciate your thoughts and friendship. :) My grandmother went to the respite care facility (it is part nursing home, part rehab facility) on tuesday. Her memory is so bad now that even after we arrived there she wasn't quite sure what was going on. I got her settled in a bit and then headed out. I felt very bad for a little while afterward, but I also felt really great to be so independent for a change! Plus I knew she was being well looked after. It was guilt and I had to get over it. It was kind of amazing to be able to run errands and not worry about rushing home and worrying that she was okay, etc. It was something I had not felt in a long time! I had a nice mini vacation to NYC. The facility called a few times with questions, but it does not sound like she is any more anxious or upset than she is at home, so that is good. I talked to her today and she wasn't sure where her car was, which she hasn't had for years! I think she was worried about getting home and they thought if I talked to her she would feel better. We had a nice chat and I promised to see her Sunday, the day we planned on her coming back home. :) Thanks again for all of your support and friendship!

I'm so happy to hear your good news. It's so important for both you and your grandmother that your respite experience was a positive one. I know from my own experience recently that getting that break made a world of difference in how I felt. You don't realize how much better you're able to cope unless you've tried it. I know that I'm already planning another respite trip in October and having it to look forward to has helped already, lol.

Again, so happy for you my friend !

Many hugs, Patricia :-)