Carers’ perspectives of respite care in Australia: An evaluative study

Abstract

Caring for someone with dementia is burdensome and challenging. In Australia, respite services help carers to cope with these demands. In this descriptive study, 62 carers of people with dementia provided information on their use of respite care, its effectiveness and their satisfaction with services provided during the preceding 12 months. Results indicated that carers used day centre, in-home, residential, regular outings and cottage care. The main reasons for use were to assist with managing care, take a break, or attend to health problems. Although 78% of carers rated respite as beneficial to their care recipients, most suggested areas that required attention. Improvements included the need for more time and flexibility, better quality and more permanent staff, improved communication, bureaucracy, administration and affordability. Respite providers need to recognize these limitations and develop strategies to improve the delivery of diverse respite care for carers of people with dementia.

Effectiveness of an in‐home respite care program to support informal dementia caregivers: A comparative study

“…The results partly confirmed earlier positive findings from explorative qualitative studies into the potential benefits of respite care (ie, reduced stress, being able to maintain role, and lower strain). 14,16,19,20 We believe the study has moreover some methodological strengths. First, a quasiexperimental trial was set up for practical and ethical reasons and because this design was earlier identified as a favorable and valid strategy to conduct research into respite care efficacy.…”

“…12 Nevertheless, qualitative research into the potential impact of inhome respite care was promising. 11,13,14 The provision of respite responded to an unmet need of many caregivers to take a break. 4,15 Caregivers were in general highly satisfied with the provided respite care.…”

“…4,15 Caregivers were in general highly satisfied with the provided respite care. [15][16][17][18][19] They described benefits such as lower perceived burden, 20 being able to get things done, 14 and the possibility to escape from their duties enabled them to continue their demanding role as caregiver. 16,17 Additionally, some caregivers pointed out their preference for in-home respite care, especially because their loved ones could remain in their trusted environment.…”

“…16,17 Additionally, some caregivers pointed out their preference for in-home respite care, especially because their loved ones could remain in their trusted environment. 14,16 Because explorative research suggests that in-home respite services can actually be important for caregivers but the level of evidence should be improved, we have designed the (to our knowledge) first comparative study to assess the effectiveness of a specific 24-hour/ 24-hour in-home respite care program. On the basis of the current evidence, our hypothesis is that in-home respite care can potentially reduce caregiver burden, as well as the caregiver's intention to institutionalize the person with dementia, and that it can help manage behavioral problems.…”

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an in-home respite care program in supporting informal caregivers of people with dementia: design of a comparative study

“…In both study groups the reason for (potential) use of respite will be asked based on evidence from the study of Connell et al (2012) [30]. Earlier use of Baluchonnage will also be questioned to intervention group participants (Tables 1 and 2).…”