Barriers to the Use of Institutional Respite for Alzheimer's Caregivers

Abstract

As the incidence of elderly-type illnesses such as Alzheimer's Disease continues to increase along with the elderly population in Canada, the particular health concerns and formal service needs of dementia patients and their caregivers are becoming more apparent and important to researchers, policy analysts, and ministry representatives. Institutional respite is one service that has been consistently underutilized by the Alzheimer's population, but little research has been conducted to determine the reasons behind why this is the case. As part of its Alzheimer strategy, the Ontario Government has promised to invest $7 million annually into respite services for caregivers. It is essential that these monies be used as appropriately as possible and in ways that best assist caregivers, and one of the easiest ways to do this is to include caregiver input in the processes of service evaluation, modification, and development. This study focuses on uncovering the issues that contribute to Alzheimer's caregivers underutilization of institutional respite, with the hope that this paper and like papers in the future will contribute to the development of more generous and more appropriate respite services for families caring for persons with Alzheimer's Disease.