Developing More Flexible Approaches to Respite for People Living with Dementia and Their Carers

Abstract

A vital aspect of the care of people living with dementia is the provision of respite services, which allow family caregivers a break from the caring role. The flexibility of such services has consistently been identified as a major factor in whether families make use of them. This study of dementia respite services explores the notion of flexibility and then presents a comprehensive checklist that respite service providers can use to assess the flexibility of their service. It then provides brief descriptions of a number of creative respite programs that are examples of flexible service provision.