Annotated Bibliography of Respite and Crisis Care Services

ARCH prepared its first Annotated Bibliography of Respite and Crisis Care in 2002 and has periodically updated it since then. Two compilations are available -- the 2002 Second Edition annotating research published before 2002, and the 2020 5th Edition, which includes studies published between 2002 through 2020.

Annotated Bibliography of Respite and Crisis Care Studies, 6th Edition, 2022

Annotated Bibliography of Respite and Crisis Care Studies, 2nd Edition, 2002

Studies were included if they documented outcomes of respite care for family caregivers, care recipients, families or communities, including cost-benefit studies. Each annotation includes a complete citation; the study’s aim or purpose; a summary of methods; a summary of key results; key study limitations as cited by the authors; and a summary of the authors’ discussion and conclusions. Articles are grouped as follows: 1) respite targeted to children; 2) respite targeted to older adults; 3) respite targeted to adults with developmental disabilities; 4) respite targeted to multi-age groups; 5) caregiver support for Veterans and their caregivers; 6) literature reviews/meta-analyses of respite care studies; and 7) methodological issues in research on respite and caregiver interventions.

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A Break from Caring for a Disabled Child: Parent Perceptions of the Uses and Benefits of Short Break Provision in England.

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Study Aim/Purpose: This paper examined perspectives of parents of children with disabilities on the provision of respite services through the Programme Aiming High for Disabled Children Short Breaks Pathfinder in England. In this program respite services are called “short breaks.” In this program, the term is used to describe a…

A comparative cost-minimization analysis of providing pediatric palliative respite care before and after the opening of services at a pediatric hospice

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Study Aim/Purpose: This study sought to analyze changes in costs for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) ( a regional pediatric health care system in Canada) resulting from the provision of palliative hospice respite care for children with life-limiting illness (provided at a new 8-bed pediatric residential hospice adjacent…

A group respite pilot project for children with special needs

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Study Aim/Purpose:  This paper describes feedback from caregivers and program staff on a pilot group out-of-home respite program for children with special needs, including those with physical, cognitive and/or developmental impairments. The pilot involved monthly four-hour out-of-home group respite care sessions for children with physical, cognitive and/or developmental impairment, as…

A music therapy respite program for caregivers of individuals with memory loss

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Study Aim/Purpose: This study aimed to describe the benefits of participation in a community-based drop-in music therapy program (Music Therapy Respite) offered weekly from April – July 2018 to adults ages 64 to 91 with memory loss. Summary of Methods: Researchers collected 128 total survey responses over 23 sessions in…

A pre-test and post-test study of the physical and psychological effects of out-of-home respite care on caregivers of children with life-threatening conditions

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Study Aim/Purpose: This study sought to measure the association between planned, overnight out-of-home hospice respite stays on parental caregivers fatigue level, psychological adjustment, quality of life, and relationship satisfaction. Summary of Methods: This study surveyed parental caregivers whose children spent an average of four days in Very Special Kids (VSK),…

Accentuate the positive: the association between informal and formal supports and caregiving gains

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Study Aim/Purpose: This study explored whether receipt of formal and informal supports by caregivers for persons living with dementia (PLWD) were associated with caregiver gains, such as perceived benefits of the caring role or other positive influences on the caregiver’s life. The research also assessed whether the positive effects of…

Adult day center programs and their associated outcomes on clients, caregivers, and the health system: a scoping review

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Study Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to summarize findings and identify gaps in the literature evaluating outcomes of stand-alone adult day center (ADC) programs serving older adults in the community.  Summary of Methods: The authors conducted a scoping review of evaluations of standalone ADCs published in English from…

Adult Day Health Center Participation and Health-Related Quality of Life

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Study Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between participation in an adult day health center (ADHC) in the San Francisco Bay Area and quality of life for the participants who suffer from multiple chronic conditions and functional limitations.  Summary of Methods: The study used a…

Adult day service use and reductions in caregiving hours: Effects on stress and psychological well-being for dementia caregivers

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Study Aim/Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine whether adult day service (ADS) use and its related reductions in primary caregiving hours would positively impact caregivers’ negative emotional appraisals (i.e. exhaustion and fatigue, feeling of being trapped in the caregiving role) and levels of psychological distress.  Summary of…

Adult day service use decreases likelihood of a missed physician’s appointment among dementia caregivers

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Study Aim/Purpose: The study examined the association between adult day services (ADS) use for community-dwelling persons with dementia and a missed physician’s appointment among their family caregivers.  Summary of Methods: The authors conducted secondary analysis of baseline data collected for two randomized controlled trials evaluating behavioral interventions for community-living persons…