Traveling for the Holidays? How a Short Respite Stay Can Help Mom

Quick answer: If you’re traveling for the holidays and Mom can’t safely stay alone, a short respite stay in a licensed care home can cover the days you’re gone. Start looking now. Homes need a doctor’s report before Mom moves in, and holiday weeks fill early. Each home sets its own price for short stays, so ask for the full cost in writing. Our help finding a home is free to your family.

You’ve been Mom’s main helper all year. Now your sister’s wedding is in Ohio, or the grandkids want you there for Christmas, or you just need four days away. The problem is the same: who will be with Mom while you’re gone?

A short respite stay is one answer. Mom stays in a licensed care home for a few days or weeks, with meals, medicine help and caregivers around the clock. Then she comes home. This guide covers the holiday side of it: when to book, what the home needs from you, what to tell Mom, and how to hand off her care so you can actually rest. It’s general information, not medical, legal or financial advice.

The short version

• A respite stay is a short stay in a care home while the family caregiver is away or needs a break.
• Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026. Christmas is Friday, December 25. New Year’s Day is Friday, January 1, 2027. Plan backward from your travel date.
• Homes need a recent medical assessment before Mom moves in, so call her doctor’s office early.
• Each home sets its own price for short stays. Ask for the full cost, deposits and any minimum stay.
• Families never pay Nonna Placements, for respite or for a permanent move.

How far ahead should we book?

As early as you can. Many people are on the move over the holidays. AAA estimated that 81.8 million people would travel 50 miles or more over the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday period (AAA). Care home staff take time off too, and some homes have only one or two rooms open for short stays.

Here’s a simple timeline to plan backward from your trip:

• 4 or more weeks before. What to do: Decide on dates. Call or text us, or start calling homes. Ask the doctor’s office about the medical report.
• 3 weeks before. What to do: Tour one to three homes, in person or by video. Pick one and ask how to hold the dates.
• 2 weeks before. What to do: Get the doctor’s report and medicine list to the home. Fill out the home’s paperwork.
• 1 week before. What to do: Refill medicines. Label clothes. Write the care notes (see the checklist below).
• Move-in day. What to do: Bring Mom, her medicines and her bag. Stay for a meal if you can.

If your trip is sooner than that, don’t give up. Call anyway. Sometimes a room opens, and fast help is what we’re here for.

The surprise: The hardest part of a holiday respite stay usually isn’t finding a room. It’s the paperwork. California rules say a care home must have a medical assessment, signed by a licensed medical professional and done within the last year, before it accepts a person as a resident (Title 22, Section 87458). Doctor’s offices close for the holidays too. Ask for the report first.

What does the care home need from us?

Every home has its own forms, but most will ask for:

• A doctor’s report (a medical assessment). The state rule says it should include a physical exam, a check for tuberculosis and other contagious illness, a list of current prescribed medicines, and notes on any physical limits, diet needs and memory problems (Title 22, Section 87458).
• Medicines in their original pharmacy bottles, with enough for the whole stay plus a few extra days.
• Insurance cards, a photo ID, and emergency contacts.
• Any power of attorney or health care directive. Our guide Power of Attorney and Moving Mom or Dad Into Care explains what to have ready.
• A meeting or call so staff can learn what Mom needs, from bathing to bedtime.

Ask the home exactly which forms it needs and when. Then ask Mom’s doctor’s office how long the report takes. If the office needs an appointment, book it right away.

How long can a respite stay be?

That depends on the home and on what you need. Some families plan a long weekend. Others plan two or three weeks around the holidays. Ask each home:

• Is there a minimum number of days?
• Is the price by the day, the week or the month?
• If our plans change, can Mom stay longer, or leave early? What does that cost?
• Is a deposit due to hold the room, and is any of it refundable?

Some families use a holiday stay as a quiet trial, to see how Mom does in a care home before a bigger decision. If that’s on your mind, our respite care guide covers trial stays in more detail.

What does a short stay cost?

Each home sets its own price for short stays, based on the room and the care Mom needs. Daily rates for short stays can be higher than the monthly rate divided by 30, so ask for the total for your dates, in writing, before you agree.

Here’s what care homes in our area typically cost by the month, to give you a sense of scale. Licensed care homes in the greater Sacramento region typically cost $4,000 to $15,000 a month. A few homes charge less, but a price under $4,000 a month is rare. These are planning ranges, not quotes.

• Board and care, shared room. Typical monthly range: $5,000 to $7,000.
• Board and care, private room. Typical monthly range: $6,000 to $9,000.
• Assisted living, studio, light care. Typical monthly range: $5,500 to $8,000.
• Assisted living, one bedroom, moderate care. Typical monthly range: $7,000 to $10,000.
• Memory care. Typical monthly range: $8,000 to $13,000.

Medicare doesn’t pay for a stay in assisted living or board and care (Medicare.gov). If Mom is on hospice, ask her hospice team about respite, because hospice has its own short respite benefit. Our respite guide explains it.

What should Mom bring?

Pack light, but pack what makes her feel at home. Our packing checklist for assisted living or board and care is written for longer moves, so here is a short version for a holiday stay:

• Medicines in original bottles, plus the current medicine list
• Clothes for each day plus two extra, all labeled with her name
• Shoes she can wear safely, and slippers with grip
• Glasses, hearing aids, dentures and chargers, labeled
• Her own pillow or a favorite blanket
• A few photos, and something holiday for her room
• A phone with family numbers set up, plus the charger
• A one-page “about Mom” sheet (see below)

How do we hand off Mom’s care?

You know Mom’s routines better than anyone. Write them down so the staff can follow them. One page is enough:

• What time she likes to wake up and go to bed
• How she likes her coffee, and foods she won’t eat
• What helps when she’s upset or confused
• Her doctors, her pharmacy, and who to call first if something changes
• How she uses the bathroom at night, and whether she needs help
• Words or names that matter to her, like her late husband or her dog

Give the home your travel dates, a phone number that works while you’re away, and the name of a local backup person. Ask how the home will update you, like a text each day or a call if anything changes.

What do we tell Mom?

Be honest and keep it simple. “We’re going to Ohio for the wedding, and you’ll stay at a nice home with people who will help you until I’m back on the 30th.” Say the date she comes home. Write it on a card for her room.

If Mom has memory loss, she may ask the same questions again. That’s normal. Staff can help with this. A short call at the same time each day often helps more than many calls.

Which kind of short stay fits?

• If Mom mostly needs company, meals and medicine reminders, then a small board and care home may feel calm and homey.
• If Mom enjoys people and activities, then an assisted living community with a holiday calendar may suit her.
• If Mom has dementia and may wander, then ask about homes that care for people with dementia, or memory care.
• If Mom needs a nurse every day, then a care home may not be the right fit. Ask her doctor what level of care she needs.
• If you’d rather Mom stay home, then call or text us and we can help you find in-home care options.

Not sure about the difference? Our guide Board and Care or Assisted Living: Which Fits Your Parent? explains it.

Coming home after the holidays

Plan the trip home too. Pick a time that isn’t right before a meal or bedtime. Ask staff how Mom ate, slept and moved, and if anything changed. Bring the medicine bottles home and check them against her list.

Give Mom a few days to settle back in. Some people are tired after a change. If you noticed new problems over the holidays, our guide Home for Thanksgiving: 3 Things to Notice About Mom or Dad can help you decide what to do next.

How Nonna Placements works: Nonna Placements is free to families. The home pays our fee when someone moves in, and that includes short respite stays, so families never pay us. You can choose any home. If the first home doesn’t work out, we find another for free. This article is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice.

Planning a trip? Call or text us

Tell us your travel dates, where Mom lives, and what help she needs. We’ll look for homes with room for a short stay that fit her care and your budget.

Nonna Placements helps families across California, with a focus on Placer and Sacramento counties. We only suggest homes we’ve seen ourselves, and we’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each one (location, price, staff experience). We can come on tours with you. For out-of-state families, we offer video tours. It’s free to your family, because the home pays our fee.

Call or text (916) 261-2644 or email roberto@nonnaplacements.com. We reply within 1 hour, 24/7.

Related reading: Respite Care in Sacramento and Placer · Moving Mom or Dad Into Care Around the Holidays · What to Pack for Assisted Living or Board and Care · Senior living in Roseville · Browse homes

Sources

• AAA Newsroom, Thanksgiving travel forecast 2025 (checked November 3, 2026): newsroom.aaa.com
• California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Section 87458, Medical Assessment, via Cornell Legal Information Institute (checked November 3, 2026): law.cornell.edu
• Medicare.gov, Long-term care (checked November 3, 2026): medicare.gov

About the author

Roberto Hategan is the CEO & Founder of Nonna Placements, a senior placement service in Granite Bay serving families across California, with a focus on Placer and Sacramento counties. We only suggest homes we’ve seen ourselves. Contact: roberto@nonnaplacements.com

Photo credits: Julia Volk, Vlada Karpovich and RDNE Stock project, via Pexels, Pexels License.