March 18th 2026
By Ari Parker
Respite care gives family caregivers temporary relief while ensuring seniors receive quality care. Compare in-home, adult day care, and facility options—plus Medicare/Medicaid coverage details.
Caring for your loved one is a physically and emotionally demanding job. Though caregiving offers plenty of rewarding moments and can have a significant impact on your loved one’s quality of life, it can also lead to isolation, loneliness, and burnout for the caregiver.
Respite care is a temporary form of elder care that gives family caregivers time to rest and recuperate while ensuring that their loved one receives quality and professional care.
There are different types of respite care, including in-home respite care, adult day care, short-term facility respite care, and emergency respite care. Finding the right type of respite care for you and your loved one will depend on your needs and budget.
In this article, we’ll explain the details and cost of each type of respite care, whether or not respite care is covered by Medicare, and how to find and arrange respite care for your loved one.
Respite care is a temporary form of elder care that offers family caregivers a much needed break.
There are many different types of respite care, including in-facility respite care and respite care that takes place in yours or your loved one’s home.
It’s important to weigh your needs, your loved one’s health, and your budget when finding the right type of respite care for your family.
Respite care offers short-term relief for primary caregivers, which can help remediate the effects of caregiver burnout or stress.
Depending on the type of respite care your loved one receives, it can provide hours, days, or weeks of respite from caregiving.
Taking a break from caregiving can support your physical and emotional health in the long-run. Below, we cover the most common forms of respite care for seniors.
In-home respite care involves a professional caregiver who comes to the senior's home. This type of care is a good fit for seniors who prefer to stay in their familiar environment and benefit from one-on-one care.
Responsibilities of an in-home caregiver can include:
Helping with personal care, like bathing or grooming.
Medical care, including medication management.
Light housekeeping duties, including grocery shopping and laundry.
You can find in-home caregivers through an agency, though some may work independently.
Because in-home caregivers provide one-on-one care, usually with flexibility according to your schedule and needs, this can be one of the more expensive forms of respite care.
Depending on where you live and the type of care your loved one needs, the cost of an in-home caregiver can range between $20–$50+ per hour.
Some in-home caregivers also offer overnight care for seniors who require frequent monitoring so that primary caregivers can sleep through the night. Most overnight caregivers charge fixed rates, ranging from $150-$300+ per night.
Adult day cares provide a structured program of professional and compassionate services for adults in a community-based setting. Most adult day cares offer services during weekday daytime hours, though some centers may offer evening services.
Many adult day cares are equipped to provide safe and professional care for seniors living with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or a chronic medical condition. According to the National Adult Day Services Association, nearly half of all adult day care participants have some level of dementia.
Seniors in adult day care centers can benefit from:
Social interaction and activities
Professional supervision
Personal care
Therapeutic activities
Meals and snacks
Door-to-door pick-up and drop-off transportation services
The average cost of adult day health care in 2025 is $103 per day, but it can range up to $293 per day depending on your location. But some adult day cares may offer sliding scale prices where the rate you pay is based on your income.
Some assisted living or nursing facilities offer short-term and/or overnight stays for temporary respite care. If your loved one needs 24/7 professional or medical care, this may be a good fit for them.
The cost of short-term facility care will range depending on the type of facility and the care your loved one needs, but average costs will range between $200–$400 per day.
If you need last-minute respite care due to an emergency, there are resources you can call to connect with on-call caregivers.
Resources to contact for respite care help in an unforeseen emergency include:
Your Local Area Agency on Aging (AAA)
Nearby home health agencies with on-call staff
The ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center’s Respite Locator Service
The cost of respite care will vary depending on the type of care you’re looking for and where you live. Broadly, you can expect to pay anywhere from $100-$500 per day for respite care services.
Under Part A, Medicare will cover respite care for hospice patients only, as long as the care takes place in a Medicare-approved facility.
Your loved one can stay for up to five days each time you need respite care. Medicare will cover respite care for your loved one more than once, but only on an occasional basis.
Caring for your friend or family member is the ultimate act of love and can provide both of you with moments of deep connection and meaning. But it can also take a toll on your physical and emotional well-being.
According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, at least 20% of caregivers experience depression, and this rate increases to 41% for caregivers who cared for a spouse with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Additional symptoms of caregiver burnout or stress can include:
Feeling overwhelmed, alone, and isolated
Oversleeping or not sleeping enough
Gaining or losing weight
Fatigue
Losing interest in things that used to bring you joy
Feeling irritable or easily angered
Frequent headaches or body aches
Attention issues
Supporting a caregiver's mental and physical health is essential to sustainable caregiving. Every caregiver needs the occasional break from 24/7, on-demand caregiving. Respite care offers caregivers a much-needed rest while providing safe and professional care for their loved one.
There are many options for respite care, including in-home respite care, adult day care centers, and short-term facility care. Whether you need support for a few hours or several weeks, there is an option to fit your needs.
Unfortunately, the cost of respite care can be high, ranging anywhere from $100-$500 per day. Medicare will cover respite care but for hospice patients only and for just five days at a time.
To find respite care resources near you, consider reaching out to your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) or The ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center’s Respite Locator Service.
The cost of respite care will vary depending on the type of respite care your loved one receives and where you live. The average cost of respite care can range between $100-$500 per day.
Medicare pays for respite care for hospice patients only. Your loved one can receive up to five days of inpatient respite care at a time, as long as it takes place in a Medicare-approved facility.
Nadel, A. (2021, July 14). Caregiver depression: a silent health crisis. Family Caregiver Alliance. https://www.caregiver.org/resource/caregiver-depression-silent-health-crisis/
National Library of Medicine. (n.d.). Caregiver health. https://medlineplus.gov/caregiverhealth.html
About Adult Day services | Fairfax, VA | National Adult Day Services Association. (2022, November 30). NADSA: Adult Day Services. https://www.nadsa.org/about/about-adult-day-services/
Field, B. (2025, November 19). Respite care costs. SeniorLiving.org. https://www.seniorliving.org/respite/costs/
Does Medicare pay for respite care? (2024, December 12). https://www.ncoa.org/article/does-medicare-cover-respite-care/
