"We Build Vacations Into Everyday Life": Rethinking Carers' Restorative Experiences Through The Lens of Place

This article proposes a reimagining of the concept of carer respite. It explores the role of place in eliciting restorative experiences for carers and reconsiders the mechanism of 'respite as an outcome'. Findings from a Canadian-based study about dementia carers' experiences in their neighbourhoods illustrate that everyday places, whether in the home or in the social or built environment of the neighbourhood, facilitate their connections to themselves and others, leading to a sense of restoration. As such, respite is the outcome not necessarily of mental or physical removal from the care situation, but rather of the (em)placing of care within everyday life.