Non-Medical Home Care
In-Home Respite Care for Family Caregivers
Respite care is short-term care that gives a family caregiver a planned break while a trained professional supports their loved one at home. Focus Family Care delivers respite care services from a few hours to several weeks across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee counties. Focus Family Care answers the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can start care in as little as 24 hours.
What In-Home Respite Care Includes
Scheduled Relief
A professional caregiver steps in for hours, overnight, or several weeks so the primary caregiver can rest, work, or travel.
Personal Care
The caregiver assists with bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming, and mobility, following the same approach the family uses.
Medication Reminders
The caregiver keeps your loved one on the medication schedule already in place and reports anything missed or refused.
Meals and Companionship
The caregiver prepares meals to the person's preferences and provides conversation, activities, and company throughout the visit.
Safety Monitoring
The caregiver watches for falls, confusion, and sudden changes in condition, and contacts your family and our nursing team when something looks off.
Continuity of Routine
The caregiver follows a written care plan built from your own routine, including wake times, favorite chair, TV schedule, and walking route.
Light Housekeeping and Transport
Caregivers keep the living space tidy and can provide transport to appointments, places of worship, or errands when the plan includes it.
Quick Answer
Respite care is temporary care that allows a primary caregiver to step away and rest while a trained caregiver takes over. It can last a few hours, a full day, an overnight, or a short stay of several weeks, and it can be delivered in the person's own home, at an adult day center, or in a residential facility.
Key Takeaways
- Respite care runs from a **4-hour visit** to several weeks of continuous coverage, delivered at home, at an adult day center, or in a facility.
- Medicare covers respite **only through the hospice benefit**, up to 5 consecutive days of inpatient respite per stay.
- Florida Medicaid Long-Term Care, the Alzheimer's Disease Initiative, CCE, the VA, and long-term care insurance all fund respite for eligible families.
- In-home respite care in South Florida generally runs **$28 to $38 per hour** for non-medical care, with a 4-hour minimum per visit.
- Focus Family Care accepts emergency respite requests around the clock and can begin care within **24 hours**.
What Is Respite Care?
Respite care is temporary care that allows a primary caregiver to step away and rest while a trained caregiver takes over. It can last a few hours, a full day, an overnight, or a short stay of several weeks. Respite care can happen in the person's own home, at an adult day center, or in a residential facility, depending on what the family needs.
The word respite simply means relief. The care itself doesn't change what your loved one receives day to day. It changes who delivers it, so you can attend an appointment, work a shift, travel, recover from your own illness, or sleep through the night. Focus Family Care builds every respite plan around the routine that your family already follows, so the person receiving care remains comfortable and the transition feels normal.
Types of Respite Care Services
Respite care comes in four main forms. Most South Florida families use in-home respite care because it keeps the person in their own home and on their own routine.
| Type of respite care | Where care happens | Typical length | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-home respite care | The person's own home | 4 hours to several weeks | Families who want to keep the routine, the bed, and the surroundings unchanged |
| Adult day or center-based respite | A licensed adult day center | 4 to 8 hours, weekdays | Caregivers who work daytime hours and want social activities and meals included |
| Residential respite care | A nursing home, assisted living facility, or respite care home | 1 day to 30 days | Short stays when a caregiver travels or a home is being modified |
| Emergency respite care | Home or facility, whichever can be arranged fastest | Hours to days | Sudden hospitalization, injury, or crisis affecting the caregiver |
In-Home and Emergency Respite Care
Focus Family Care provides in-home and emergency respite care. If a family determines that a residential respite care stay fits better, our care coordinators will explain the options and help you compare them honestly.
- In-home respite care: A caregiver comes to the house on a schedule you set. Visits begin at 4 hours and extend to overnight, weekend, or continuous multi-week coverage. Nothing about the home environment changes, which matters enormously for anyone living with dementia, Parkinson's disease, or a sensory-sensitive condition.
- Emergency respite care: Emergency respite care covers the situations that nobody plans for. A caregiver breaks a wrist, gets admitted to the hospital, or has to fly out for a funeral. Focus Family Care accepts respite requests on short notice, confirms availability the same day in most cases, and can begin care within 24 hours.
Why Family Caregivers Need Respite Care
Family caregivers who never take a break experience exhaustion. That outcome is predictable for a role running 24 hours a day with no shift change, and it has nothing to do with character. Caregiver burnout and stress show up as broken sleep, missed medical appointments of your own, weight change, irritability, and a creeping sense that you're failing at something you're doing extremely well.
Many carers wait until they're already depleted before they ask for help. The families who do best schedule respite care in advance, maybe a standing Tuesday afternoon or one weekend a month, rather than waiting for a crisis to force the decision.
The signs below might mean it's time to arrange respite care:
- Sleep: More than a week has passed since you slept through the night.
- Your own health: You've canceled your own medical appointments to keep the care schedule.
- How you feel: Resentment, guilt, or numbness that wasn't there before has crept in.
- No backup: You're the only person who knows the full care routine.
- Clinical tasks: You're managing wound care, a feeding tube, or a ventilator by yourself.
- Something coming up: A vacation, surgery, or work trip is coming and you have no plan.
Respite Care Combined With Other Home Care
A break says nothing about how much you love the person. It says you intend to keep going and maintain your own quality of life along the way.
Families supporting someone with memory loss often combine respite with Alzheimer's and dementia care. Families who need longer overnight coverage move to 24-hour home care. Families whose loved one has entered end-of-life care can add hospice support at home.
How Much Does Respite Care Cost in Florida?
In-home respite care in South Florida generally runs $28 to $38 per hour for non-medical care, with most agencies charging a 4-hour minimum per visit. Overnight and live-in respite is usually quoted at a flat daily rate rather than hourly. Skilled nursing respite, for a client who requires tracheostomy (trach) care, ventilator management, or intravenous (IV) therapy, costs more because a licensed nurse delivers it.
Focus Family Care confirms your exact rate in writing before the first visit. Focus Family Care also verifies your insurance coverage at no charge, so you know what you'll actually pay before you commit to anything.
The following factors determine your rate:
- Level of care: Companion care costs less than personal care, and personal care costs less than skilled nursing respite.
- Hours per visit: Longer blocks and overnight coverage typically carry a lower effective hourly rate.
- Notice: Same-day and holiday coverage might be charged at a premium.
- Location: Travel time into Okeechobee or Indian River County can affect scheduling and cost.
Who Pays for Respite Care? Coverage and Funding Options
Several programs subsidize respite care for Florida families. Most people qualify for at least one, and many don't realize it. Here is what actually covers respite care in the United States.
- Medicare: Original Medicare covers respite care only as part of the hospice benefit. If your loved one is enrolled in Medicare hospice, Part A pays for up to 5 consecutive days of inpatient respite care at a time in a Medicare-approved hospital, skilled nursing facility, or inpatient hospice facility, with a coinsurance of 5% of the Medicare-approved amount, capped at the inpatient hospital deductible for the year. There is no limit on how many respite stays you can use, but the benefit is intended for occasional use. Medicare doesn't pay for routine in-home respite care or adult day care outside of hospice. Some Medicare Advantage plans add supplemental respite benefits, so it's worth asking your plan directly.
- Florida Medicaid long-term care: The Florida Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program covers respite, adult companion, homemaker, and personal care services for enrolled members who meet a nursing-facility level of care. Focus Family Care is contracted with Sunshine Health, Simply Healthcare, Molina, Clear Health Alliance, and Florida Community Care. Learn more about Florida Medicaid long-term care coverage.
- Florida Alzheimer's Disease Initiative: The Florida Department of Elder Affairs funds respite care for caregivers of adults with Alzheimer's disease or a related memory disorder in all 67 counties through the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Initiative (ADI). ADI respite includes in-home respite, adult day care, emergency respite, and extended respite of up to 30 days, delivered through the state's 11 Area Agencies on Aging. To ask about eligibility, call the Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER or 1-800-963-5337.
- Community Care for the Elderly and Home Care for the Elderly: Two state-funded programs administered through the same Area Agencies on Aging. Community Care for the Elderly (CCE) provides home and community-based services on a sliding-scale copayment for functionally impaired Floridians age 60 and older. Home Care for the Elderly (HCE) supports a caregiver living in the home with a basic subsidy.
- National Family Caregiver Support Program: Federal Older Americans Act Title III-E funding delivered by Florida's Area Agencies on Aging. It can fund respite, caregiver training, and counseling. Apply through your local Aging and Disability Resource Center.
- Veterans Affairs (VA) caregiver support: Veterans enrolled in VA health care can receive respite care through VA programs, including the Program of General Caregiver Support Services and the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. For a respite authorization, ask your VA social worker.
- Long-term care insurance: Most long-term care policies cover in-home respite care once the elimination period is met. Focus Family Care bills Genworth, Mutual of Omaha, John Hancock, New York Life, and 10 more carriers directly, so you don't have to pay out of pocket and chase reimbursement. Learn more about long-term care insurance coverage.
- Private pay: Straightforward, immediate, and not subject to eligibility review. Families who need respite care this week often start with private pay and transition to a funded program once an assessment is approved. Learn more about private pay options.
How to Arrange Respite Care With Focus Family Care
To arrange respite care with Focus Family Care, follow these steps. Care can begin in as little as 24 hours from your first call.
- 1. Call or request an assessment: Reach Focus Family Care at (561) 693-1311 any hour, or submit the form on this page. A care coordinator answers questions, provides guidance, and explains what respite care involves.
- 2. In-home assessment: A nurse visits, assesses care needs, reviews medications and mobility, and asks how you want the day to run. There is no obligation to begin care.
- 3. Coverage verification: Focus Family Care checks Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance coverage at no charge and confirms your cost in writing before anything begins.
- 4. Caregiver match: Focus Family Care matches a trained, background-screened caregiver to your loved one by care need, experience, language, and personality. You meet the caregiver before care starts.
- 5. Care plan and schedule: Focus Family Care builds a written plan around your existing routine and sets the schedule, including recurring hours, a one-time short stay, or standing weekly relief.
- 6. Care begins, and we stay engaged: A supervisor follows up after the first visits. If the match isn't right, we change it. You're never locked into a caregiver who doesn't fit.
How to Prepare for a Respite Visit
A little preparation makes the first visit go smoothly for everyone.
- Write down the daily routine: Wake time, meals, medications, naps, and bedtime.
- List food preferences: Include allergies and anything the person won't eat.
- Note the names: Family members, pets, and regular visitors.
- Show where things are kept: Supplies, linens, and emergency numbers.
- Leave your contact details: Include a backup contact who can be reached.
- Tell your loved one who is coming: Explain who will be there and why, in advance and in plain terms.
- Plan to be away long enough to rest: A two-hour errand isn't a break.
Respite Care for Specific Conditions
Focus Family Care trains caregivers for the conditions that make caregiving hardest to hand off.
- Alzheimer's and dementia: Caregivers trained in redirection (guiding attention away from distress), sundowning (increased confusion in late afternoon or evening), and wandering risk. Focus Family Care supports families managing Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and other memory disorders through Alzheimer's and dementia care.
- Parkinson's disease: Mobility support, freezing episodes (sudden, temporary inability to move), and strict medication timing through Parkinson's home care.
- Traumatic brain injury and quadriplegia: Transfers, positioning, and skin integrity through traumatic brain injury home care and quadriplegic home care.
- Hospice support: Comfort-focused presence alongside your hospice team through hospice home care.
- Pediatric home care: Respite for parents of medically complex children, including tracheostomy (trach), ventilator (vent), and gastrostomy tube (G-tube) care through pediatric home care.
- Disability home care: Respite for adults living with lifelong disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and ALS through disability home care.
Respite Care Services Near You in South Florida
Focus Family Care provides respite care across seven counties. Focus Family Care serves West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, and Vero Beach.
Focus Family Care serves Palm Beach County, Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Martin County, St. Lucie County, Indian River County, and Okeechobee County.
Why Families Trust Focus Family Care
- We answer the phone: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by a person, not a menu.
- Licensed and accredited: Florida AHCA licensed, Home Health Agency (HHA) license 299995403 and Nurse Registry (NR) license 30211928, Medicare certified, and ACHC accredited.
- Every caregiver is screened: Level 2 background checks, license verification, and ongoing training.
- We verify coverage for free: Before the first visit, not after the first invoice.
- Skilled care is in-house: If respite needs escalate to wound care, trach care, or IV therapy, our nurses take it on. You don't need to begin again with a new agency.
- Local: Our office is at 515 N Flagler Drive, Suite 350, West Palm Beach. We aren't a national call center.
How We Know This
Reviewed by the Focus Family Care clinical team. Focus Family Care is a Florida AHCA-licensed home health agency and nurse registry (HHA #299995403, NR #30211928), Medicare certified and ACHC accredited, serving South Florida families since 2014. Coverage details on this page reflect the Medicare hospice respite benefit and Florida Department of Elder Affairs program rules as published in 2026. Program eligibility changes, so confirm current rules with your plan or the Florida Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER.
Sources
Insurance & Payment
We Accept Medicare, Medicaid, Private Pay, and 100+ Insurance Plans
Focus Family Care accepts Medicare, Florida Medicaid, private pay, and more than 100 private insurance plans, including most long-term care policies. We verify your coverage at no charge before the first visit.
Not sure what your plan covers? Call (561) 693-1311 for free insurance verification, no obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is respite care?
Respite care is temporary care that gives a family caregiver a break while a trained professional supports their loved one. It runs from a few hours to several weeks and can be delivered in the home, at an adult day center, or in a residential facility.
How long can respite care last?
Respite care from Focus Family Care starts at a 4-hour visit and extends to several weeks of continuous coverage. Overnight, weekend, and multi-week short stays are all available. Florida's Alzheimer's Disease Initiative funds extended respite of up to 30 days for eligible families.
How much respite care can I get in a year?
It depends on the funding source. Medicare's hospice respite benefit allows up to 5 consecutive days per stay with no annual cap on the number of stays. Florida ADI extended respite reaches 30 days. Privately paid respite has no limit at all. You set the schedule.
Does Medicare cover respite care?
Only through hospice. Original Medicare Part A covers up to 5 consecutive days of inpatient respite care for people enrolled in Medicare hospice, in a Medicare-approved facility. Medicare doesn't cover in-home respite care or adult day care outside the hospice benefit. Some Medicare Advantage plans add respite benefits.
Does Medicaid cover respite care in Florida?
Florida's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program covers respite services for enrolled members who meet the level-of-care requirement. Coverage and hours depend on your plan and your approved care plan. Focus Family Care verifies this at no charge.
How much does in-home respite care cost?
In South Florida, non-medical in-home respite care generally runs $28 to $38 per hour, with a 4-hour minimum. Overnight and live-in respite is quoted at a daily rate. Skilled nursing respite costs more. Focus Family Care confirms your exact rate in writing before care begins.
Can I get emergency respite care on short notice?
Yes. Focus Family Care accepts emergency respite requests around the clock and can typically begin care within 24 hours. Call (561) 693-1311 and tell the coordinator it's urgent.
Is respite care the same as residential respite or an aged care home stay?
No. Residential respite care is a short stay in a facility such as a nursing home or assisted living community. In-home respite care keeps your loved one in their own home on their own routine. The terms aged care and aged care home are used in Australia and the UK; the equivalent US terms are senior care, long-term care, and nursing home. Focus Family Care provides in-home and emergency respite care.
Will my loved one accept a stranger in the house?
Most do, once the introduction is handled well. Focus Family Care arranges a meet-and-greet before the first shift, matches on language and personality, and keeps the same caregiver on the schedule so a relationship can build. If the fit is wrong, we change caregivers.
Can respite care include skilled nursing?
Yes. Focus Family Care is a Medicare-certified home health agency. If your loved one requires wound care, tracheostomy or ventilator management, gastrostomy tube feeding, or IV therapy, a licensed nurse provides respite coverage rather than a home health aide.
What areas do you serve for respite care?
Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee counties, including all of South Florida and the Treasure Coast.
Request Home Health Care Today
Focus Family Care starts care in as little as 24 hours. Call now or request an in-home assessment. We answer around the clock.
515 N Flagler Drive, Suite 350, West Palm Beach, FL 33401