Respite services, an important component of the home and community-based long-term care service-delivery system, provide informal caregivers with a temporary break from their caregiving responsibilities and associated stresses. Caregiving is a responsibility most take on without hesitation. However, informal caregivers often face financial, physical, and emotional burdens which have an impact on their families, social lives, and careers. With the aging of the baby boomers, there will be an increasing number of older people due to the size of this cohort. As the boomers become elderly, there is an increased likelihood that they will need support in everyday living tasks. As a result, the demands placed on informal caregivers will continue and likely will increase.
Informal caregivers play a critical role in the long-term care system; in fact, the system cannot function without them. Thus, it is crucial that caregivers are supported in their caregiving responsibilities. Respite services temporarily relieve caregivers of their caregiving responsibilities by providing a short-term break, allowing the caregiver to devote time to address other needs. Respite services include home care (e.g., personal care levels I & II, companionship/supervision), community-based services (e.g., social adult day services, adult day health care), and facility-based overnight care (e.g., in a nursing home, adult home). Respite services assist caregivers in maintaining their loved ones at home for as long as possible and delays or forestalls nursing home placement, which often results in a much higher cost both to the family and the State Medicaid Program.
Respite services in New York State are provided through a variety of funding streams. There are 10 community-based respite programs that are included in the State Budget, for which the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) has administrative responsibility.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) provide respite services throughout the state through a variety of federal and state-funded programs. Two primary programs are the New York Elder Caregiver Support Program funded under Title III-E of the Older Americans Act, and the state-funded Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP).
The merits of the respite program speak for themselves, for example:
At the respite program Bill is able to socialize with other individual’s with dementia. He also is able to take pride in thinking that he is providing a volunteer service. Sue also benefits from the program from receiving a 3 ½ hour break from providing caregiver responsibilities. The couple enjoyed the program so much that they decided to also begin utilizing in-home respite services. The couple has been paired with a set of volunteers that go into the home every other week for 2 – 4 hour sessions. During this time the volunteers play music for Bill and they reminisce about classic songs, movies and life events. This couple is a wonderful representation of how individuals diagnosed with the disease and their carepartner can benefit from respite services. By contacting the Alzheimer’s Association this couple was able to be given education on the disease process and linked with programs that met Bill’s needs as he progresses through the disease. As a result Sue has been able to build a support system of other carepartners, which she met during her participation in our programs. Bill also is benefiting from his experience by being able to maintain a certain level of independence by remaining social and active.
