Short break care

Hilary Arksey and Claire Bamford report on the first stage of a two-year national study of respite care and short breaks for people with dementia and their carers

This study examines whether caregivers' differential utilization of respite and counseling support services is associated with different situational stress processes. A multinomial regression analysis was conducted to compare respite users, counseling users, and those who used neither service, using data collected on a statewide random sample of 1,643 California caregivers providing assistance to individuals aged 50 or older.

The Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project - Mecopp - provides respite care and advocacy for carers in Scotland. This article looks at how the project has expanded and why the model works.

Up to one and a half million people in Britain are involved in caring for a relative or friend with mental illness or dementia. Recent government policy has emphasised the needs of this particular group of carers, but effective support can be implemented only if managers and practitioners know what works.

Looks at the findings from a review of mental health carer support and the effectiveness of the services on offer. The review was carried out by the Social Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of York.

BACKGROUND: Families/carers relinquishing the care of family members with a disability into the care of out-of-home respite facilities is an under-researched area in the disability field.

A DVD in 10 languages to raise awareness of the need for short break carers from Black and minority ethnic communities. To inform potential carers about the rewards and challenges involved in providing short breaks to disabled children. To increase the take up of short break services by the families of disabled children of Black and minority ethnic communities. With English version narrated by Linford Christie.

Satisfaction with respite care may be bound up with a variety of factors. The interaction of social support with ratings of a carer's satisfaction with respite care has not been explored in published work. The present authors postulated that social support, both during caring and during periods of relief from caring whilst in receipt of respite care, would be associated with greater satisfaction with respite care. They embarked upon a pilot study of carers who were looking after dependants with dementia, a particularly demanding form of care.

It is important to find out which services benefit people with dementia and their carers most: in particular whether carers gain more support from respite care and short breaks or from other services. Hilary Arksey and Helen Weatherly review the research evidence to date and comment on its limitations, given the wide range of different services covered.

A £1.54 million grant will enable another 70 children in Wales to access short breaks. However, there are 460 children in Wales still waiting for short breaks – and many more who are not even on a waiting list. This money is a good starting point and it is hoped a down payment for the future development of short break services in Wales. More carers will be needed to meet the increased demand, and the DVD has come at the right time to inspire new short break carers.

Cairdeas is operated by Penumbra Respite Care, a major Scottish mental health charity, and offers residential respite care as planned breaks for people with a wide range of mental ill health. It gives them short supported breaks away from their home environment to help them over difficult times and to give carers a break. The service is like a guest house, but has skilled staff working on a 24-hour basis and provides social outings like going to the cinema.