What is it about?
This study provides clarification on the use and meaning of the term 'respite' and considers the concept in relation to the dominant care paradigm in dementia, i.e. person-centred care.
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Why is it important?
The term 'respite' can be interpreted as both a service and an outcome. However, it is clear that ‘respite’, as currently understood, acknowledges the relational experience of the carer only; it is, therefore, potentially damaging to the planning and delivery of person-centred dementia care. In this paper, we suggest ‘restorative care’ as a potential alternative nomenclature to respite care, thereby highlighting the importance of providing mutual, personalised health and social care services that serve to enhance care relationships rather than diminish them.
Perspectives
This paper is an important look at what the term 'respite' means to key stakeholders in dementia (mostly carers' perspectives). It is clear that respite is increasingly understood, not just a service or group of services, but as an experiential outcome for carers i.e. a psychological break from caregiving, which can be achieved when the carer perceives that mutual benefit is garnered for the dyad from service use. We go on to consider the meaning and utility of this concept in relation to person-centred care, and argue that the concept of 'respite' is fundamentally irreconcible with this paradigm. In light of this, we suggest an alternative term that we believe can better guide the planning and delivery of services that aim to provide a meaningful and rejuvenating break in the caregiving relationship, with a view to fortifying that relationship, for the dyad i.e. 'restorative care'.
Emma O' Shea
Dublin City University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Respite in Dementia: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis, Dementia, June 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1471301217715325.
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