Respite care

In the field of healthcare, respite care is either planned care or temporary emergency healthcare that is provided to the caregiver(s) of a child patient or adult patient. In order to support and maintain the social health of the primary relationship between the patient and the caregiver, respite care programs offer planned, short-term rest breaks and limited-time rest breaks for the families and the other unpaid caregivers of children and adult patients who are either disabled or have a cognitive loss. Respite can also provide a positive experience for the patient who is receiving healthcare services.

Although a family may willingly provide healthcare to their relatives, in the long term, there may be physical, emotional, and financial consequences for the caregiver, who can become overwhelmed without some support. Programs of respite care provide a rest break for the family caregiver, which benefits the physical and the mental health of the caregiver. A survey by the Commonwealth Fund indicates that sixty percent of family caregivers, aged 19 to 64 years-old, reported that their personal health was of a fair-to-poor condition, reported one or more chronic conditions of ill-health or reported a disability, when compared with people who are not caregivers.

Respite care sustains the health and wellness of the person who is the family caregiver; it helps avoid or delay taking the patient out of their home, and reduces the risk of patient neglect and the abuse. An outcome-based evaluation pilot study showed that respite care also decreases the likelihood of a stress-induced divorce.

Respite care or respite services are also a family support service. In the US is a long-term services and support (LTSS) as described by the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities in Washington, D.C. as of 2013.

There are many organisations in the UK and worldwide that help and support with respite care. In England, they are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).