Practical resources for the family caregivers who hold everything together.
If you're the spouse, the adult child, the sibling, or the one who happened to live closest — and you're now the person managing medications, coordinating visits, doing the night shifts, and answering everyone else's questions — this page is for you.
These are the things hospice nurses end up writing down for families on the kitchen counter. We put them into PDFs so you can have them when you need them.
All guides are free to download — no email required.
The Medicare hospice benefit covers up to five consecutive days of respite care at a contracted inpatient facility, on a recurring basis. Your loved one is cared for around the clock by a clinical team. You go home, sleep through the night, see a friend, or just stop being on call for a week.
There is no cost to the family. It's already part of the benefit you're enrolled in.
Most families discover respite the hard way — after they've already burned through their reserves. We mention it early, often, and again, because the families who use it consistently do better, and so do their loved ones.
To request respite, call (248) 264-3704 and ask to speak with your social worker. We coordinate the placement, the transport, and the timing.
You don't have to wait until you can't keep going to ask for help. A 15-minute call with a Bluebird social worker can connect you to respite, to a support group, or to the part of the care plan you didn't know existed.
(248) 264-3704