Respite Services

Respite services are temporary services designed to provide relief care for families of children or adults with special needs. Respite services can range from a few hours of relief care provided on a one-time basis to overnight or extended sessions. Care might be accessed on a regular or irregular basis and may be provided By family members, friends, community members, skilled care providers, or respite care professionals. Respite services are used By a diversity of communities (race, ethnic, age, sex, religion, etc.), and services often need to be tailored to the needs of each community. The majority of respite services are geared toward children, older adults, and adults with special needs. These services need to be additionally tailored depending on the cultural and linguistic needs of the population being served. With the growing diversity of communities, especially communities comprised of large numbers of immigrants and refugees, respite services have to be increasingly provided in a variety of languages and dialects and take into consideration the traditions, cultures, and beliefs of these communities.

Respite care has the primary goal of assisting families with caretaking responsibilities and needs. The caretakers of children or adults with special needs often experience serious problems or stress as a result of having to balance caretaking with other needs and responsibilities. Respite care provides a much-needed break and allows caretakers to attend to the needs of their children, spouses, or themselves. To this end, respite services provide temporary stress relief, improve family stability, and reduce the likelihood of abuse or neglect. Accessing respite services also helps to improve long-term family stability and reduces the need for out-of-home placements or residential care.

Respite services can be provided in the home or outside of the home in a special facility. For most [Page 1141]families, in-home respite services are preferred to out-of-home services. There are several advantages to in-home respite such as (1) the care recipient might feel more comfortable at home and in a familiar setting; (2) the home is already set up to address the special needs of the child or adult; (3) cost is usually lower than out-of-home care, especially if a relative provides care; and (4) transportation is not a barrier to accessing treatment.