What is Respite?

Respite is planned or emergency care provided to a child or adult with special needs in order to provide temporary relief to family caregivers who are caring for that child or adult. For more information on how to find and choose respite care, click here for the ABCs of Respite.

According to the Lifespan Respite Care Act (PL 109-442), Lifespan Respite is defined as 'coordinated systems of community-based respite for family caregivers of children or adults regardless of special need.'  For more information, see the Administration for Community Living's Lifespan Respite Care Program.

The mission of the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center is to assist and promote the development of quality respite and crisis care programs; to help families locate respite and crisis care services in their communities; and to serve as a strong voice for respite in all forums.

The ARCH National Respite Network includes the National Respite Locator, a service to help caregivers and professionals locate respite services in their community, the National Respite Coalition, a service that advocates for preserving and promoting respite in policy and programs at the national, state, and local levels, and the Lifespan Respite Technical Assistance Center which is funded by the Administration for Community Living in the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Recent Publications

Volunteer Respite Manual: Creating Valuable Options for Family Caregivers
Compendium of State Lifespan Respite Grantee Activities
Medicaid Waivers for Respite Support: State-by-State Summaries
See more Products and Publications

Responding to a Federal Lifespan Respite Grant Announcement?

You may find the following ARCH resources helpful as you respond to a Lifespan Respite Funding Announcement from the Administration for Community Living:

Introduction to Lifespan Respite "101": includes ideas to help you collect information for required elements of the application; provides ideas for other federal sources of respite funding so you know which state agencies to reach out to for support and partnerships; presents summaries of activities of current Lifespan Respite grantees, including Integration and Sustainability activities, and the roles of State Respite Coalitions and ADRC partners; and background on the Lifespan Respite program. Click here.

State Developed Lifespan Respite Tools: Includes tools for needs assessments and environmental scans, performance measurement, service delivery, caregiver assessment for respite, respite voucher guidance, respite registry examples, job descriptions, public awareness materials, and more. Click here.

Archived Lifespan Respite Funding Opportunity Announcements from ACL, click here.

Sustainability Toolkit for Lifespan Respite Programs, click here.

Performance Measurement for Lifespan Respite Programs, click here.

More information can be found at the Lifespan Respite Technical Assistance Center, click here.

ARCH is Access to Respite Care and Help

ARCH is a program of Families and Communities Rising, Inc.  

Presentation Slides are now available on the conference website (click on Read More for each session to access the slides in the app). 

Recordings of general sessions will be available soon. 

COVID-19 Respite Resources

GUIDELINES UPDATED WITH VACCINATION AND BOOSTER INFORMATION FOR 2022

Respite -- Fuel for the Caregiving Journey!

TV Billboards (5-sec, 10-sec, and 15-sec) to adapt for use in your own state! 

See the ARCH version here.

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Listen to eCareDiary Blog Radio

 Featuring ARCH 

How to Find Respite for Caregivers

Click here or listen below.

How to Fund Respite

click here or listen below.

LIFESPAN RESPITE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER

• TA Center
• Lifespan Respite Tools
• ARCH Quick News
• Webinars