Date of Publication

2-24-2010

Abstract

Background: As the population of elderly citizens in the U.S. continues to expand paralleled by an increase in the prevalence of dementia, the role of respite care within the healthcare system will increase in importance. Respite care is defined as providing the primary caregiver with relief, or a reprieve, from care commitments on a short-term or emergency basis. The need for caregiver respite is well-documented; has been shown to decrease emotional stress,burnout, anxiety and depression; and is considered vital to the overall well-being of the caregiver. While studies have shown that respite care is effective, there is an unmet need for more flexibility in existing programs to improve utilization rates and availability. We attempted to address this issue by adapting an existing model to increase respite care options available to caregivers in our region.

Advisor(s)

Linda Martinez, RN, Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties

William Pendlebury, MD, University of Vermont College of Medicine

Agency

Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties

Subjects

Access to Health Services

Notes

Presented at 138th APHA Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, November 9, 2010 as "Emergency and Scheduled Respite Care for Caregivers of Persons with Dementia: A Model," by Benjamin King, Piyush Gupta, Katherine McBride, Damoon Rejaei, Jennifer Springer, Tyler Stewart, Diana Swett, Thomas V. Delaney, PhD, Linda Martinez, RN, William Pendlebury, MD and Jan K. Carney, MD MPH.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License

Emergency and Scheduled Respite Care for Caregivers of Persons with Dementia: A Model

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