Family and friends as respite providers.
Consumer-directed service options in home- and community- based care are increasingly available to adults with chronic conditions and cognitive impairments and to their family caregivers. Few studies, however, examine the experience of family caregivers who, when given a choice of providers of respite assistance (i.e., relief from the stress of providing constant care), prefer to hire family or friends rather than service providers. This study describes the in-home respite experience of family caregivers served by California's Caregiver Resource Centers "direct-pay" program who hire family or friends (n = 39) or service providers (n = 77) to provide in-home respite assistance. Findings revealed similarities between the two groups with few exceptions: caregivers who hired family or friends reported poorer physical health, were slightly more satisfied with the respite assistance, and received more hours of respite at a lower unit cost. These findings lend support to consumer-directed respite service options where family caregivers are given flexible alternatives that may act to remove barriers to respite service availability and use.
Whitlatch
Carol J
CJ
Margaret Blenkner Research Institute, Benjamin Rose, 850 Euclid Avenue, Suite 1100, Cleveland, OH 44114-3301, USA. cwhitlat@benrose.org
Feinberg
Lynn Friss
LF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002140:California; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid; D008875:Middle Aged; D012144:Respite Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology