According to the Mayo Clinic, there are nearly 10 million Americans that provide approximately 8.4 billion hours of unpaid care!  These caregivers are often family members.  Providing care in the home for someone who has Alzheimer's is a 24/7 job often with little relief.  I've met families who state they only get 4-5 hours of sleep at night because mom/dad will get up and mill about, or that they sleep with a baby monitor.  My grandmother used to say she slept with one ear open so she could hear what my grandfather was doing.  Caregiver stress can lead to feelings of resentment, physical health decline (heart attack or minor stroke), emotional distress, and possibly unintentional elder abuse.  I once had a wife of an Alzheimer's husband who said she knew she was at her breaking point, when she thought she was going to hit her husband and started having feelings of anger and resentment instead of love and patience.  I urge ALL family caregivers to not let the stress get to this breaking point.  It is OK to ask for and accept help.  I understand that we feel we are the best person for the job.  However, our job is also to take care of ourselves.  We are no good to our loved ones if we are stressed out and physically and emotionally distressed. 
There are several respite care options.  One is adult daycare.  The majority of adult day centers take a social approach verses a medical approach.  It's a time for seniors to get together in a social setting and do activities that promote physical and mental health.  Adult day centers allows caregivers to set their own schedule, take mom/dad there once a week or 3 times a week or every other week...this allows you, the caregiver, time to run errands, have lunch with friends, take a nap, etc.  Another respite care option is hiring an in-home companion to come and sit with mom/dad while you run errands or take some time for yourself.  Another option is having a volunteer from the local Alzheimer's Association or Area Agency on Aging come and spend time with mom/dad while you take time for yourself.  Another source of volunteers is the local university, check with the school of social work, education, or nursing. 
The goal is often to keep mom/dad at home for as long as possible.  Receiving and accepting assistance will help you achieve this goal as well as help you maintain your overall health so you can be the best caregiver.  There is no guilt or shame in accepting help from others, and all caregivers should be praised for doing this often difficult job!