The call usually comes the second or third week of November. A daughter in Denver says she's flying in for Thanksgiving and wants "someone to help Mom while we're there." Or a son who lives ten minutes away says he's driving to his in-laws' in Lubbock for five days, and nobody will be checking on Dad. Either way, the ask sounds the same: help just through the holidays.
You hear these requests at the bedside, in the discharge hallway, or on a voicemail from a family member you met once. Here's what you can tell them, where to be careful, and how to send the referral so it doesn't get lost in a short week.
Two families, same sentence
The family coming into town usually wants backup. The house will be full, the parent tires by midafternoon, and the adult child who would normally help is busy cooking for twelve. They want someone to handle a shower, a meal, or a slow walk around the block so the visit doesn't wear everyone out.
The family leaving town wants coverage. The local sibling is the person who normally stops by every day, and for the first time all year they're going to be gone. They want to know someone will be in the house.
Ask which one you're hearing. It changes what the family needs from us, and it helps us when we call them back.
What you can say in the moment
Keep it short and honest. You don't need to know our schedule to make the handoff.
"I can't set that up myself, but I work with an agency in Austin that helps at home. I'll send them a referral and they'll reach out to you. They can talk through what help over the holiday could look like, and what makes sense after."
Please don't promise a one-week package on our behalf, or tell the family exactly what hours they'll get. We'd rather have that conversation with them directly, once we know the house and the person.
Send it this week, not the Tuesday before
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. Families can book a free in-home consultation through Wednesday, November 25. That's the last day, not a good target.
We reach back out to referral partners within 24 business hours. A referral that comes in on the Monday of Thanksgiving week still works, but it leaves the family very little room to pick a consultation time that fits their travel. Sending it in the next few days gives everyone some slack.
If a patient is being discharged close to the holiday, say so on the referral. A Friday-before-Thanksgiving discharge with family flying in Tuesday is a different conversation than a routine request.
What help over the holiday can look like
Our caregivers help with bathing, dressing, meals, light housekeeping, errands, medication reminders, and company. For a holiday week, that can mean a shower and getting dressed before relatives arrive, lunch on the day the kitchen is busy with pies, or someone to sit with Dad while the family goes to see the lights.
Errands are a big one in a holiday week. A caregiver can drive the client's car, or the client can ride in the caregiver's vehicle, for a pharmacy pickup or a grocery run before the stores close on Thursday. Caregivers can also go with clients in a rideshare.
Our caregivers are trained to be proactive. In a house that's suddenly full of people and extra chairs, they're the ones who notice the cord across the hallway or that Mom hasn't had water since noon.
What to leave with us
Cost questions come up fast with a holiday request, because families assume short means simple. Hand those to us. If you want to give them one true sentence: we're private pay with competitive rates, and while we don't bill insurance, we do submit documents to long-term care insurance for families who have it.
Families also ask for a specific caregiver, especially if they're leaving a parent alone for the first time. We try hard to keep consistent caregivers with each family. We can't guarantee a particular person, so please don't promise one.
And anything clinical stays with you. We don't do nursing, therapy, wound care, or medication changes. If the patient has home health or hospice in place, our post on complementary hours when home health or hospice is already in explains how we fit around those visits.
Ask about the Monday after
Here's the question most families haven't asked themselves yet: who's in the house the Monday after everyone flies home?
The family that wants help just through the holidays has often noticed something bigger. You don't have to push. One question is enough: "What happens after Sunday?" Then let us take the conversation from there at the consultation, where we cover both the holiday and what the weeks after should look like.
If the family's real worry is the sibling who does everything all year, our post on referring for respite when the family caregiver is wearing out covers that angle. If they're seeing a parent's decline for the first time, see what to tell families before Thanksgiving.
How to send the referral
Send it the usual way, using the Refer Now button below or our partners page. If you haven't used it before, how to submit a referral walks through each field. Initials or your internal reference are enough. Leave the full chart out.
A few notes make a holiday referral much easier for us to act on:
- Whether the family is coming into town or leaving town.
- The travel dates, as best the family knows them.
- Which family member to call, and a phone number that will work while they're on the road.
- Whether a discharge or a change in care is happening close to the holiday.
Families can also book on their own at our booking page or call us at (512) 888-9105. Either way, we'll take it from there.