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Respite programs offer the care giver chance to take care of personal business just relax and rejuvenate and then return with brighter outlook and renewed energy.
As the numbers of older people increase in the United States, the eyes of the nation and the Healthcare industry in particular have begun to focus on the elderly population. A major priority has become the need to develop coherent systems of long-term healthcare services. These services include preventive healthcare teaching, better and up-todate training for those who care for elder individuals, appropriate, accessible and adequate health care, and support for those family members caring for the elderly. Southern Baptist Hospital has developed a one-of-a-kind program - respite care - as a method of support or relief for those caring for the elderly person at home.
Review of the Literature
Respite care is a newly defined service within the long-term care area that came into focus in the mid-1970s.1,2,3 It is unique in the field of health care because it provides services to those who give care as well as to those who receive care.4 Respite means relief and therefore encompasses a wide range of services. Definitions vary, but in general respite care refers to care provided on an intermittent basis to provide relief to the family or care giver from the responsibility of caring for a chronically ill or disabled person.
Hildebrant5 put it well when she said, "There seems to be no clear consensus on a model for respite care." It may be delivered in the home or a facility and may be medical, social, or combined in nature. The type of respite care provided is usually based on the physical and psychological needs of the dependent person as well as on the convenience, availability, and cost of the service.6
Institutional settings providing respite care include congregate care facilities, nursing homes, and acute care hospitals. They may set aside a few of their beds, which are then reserved in advance for short-term respite care. Costs can range from $30 to $90 per day and vary based on the community, the rates of the acuity, and the level of care required by the client. Despite the often high costs for respite care, which is not considered a...