Older Peoples’ Descriptions of Becoming and Being Respite Care Recipients

Abstract

The number of older people in the western world is increasing. Advancing age creates the need for care, including respite care. The aim of this study is to describe the experience of older people of becoming and being respite care recipients. Admission to respite care is a response to a range of practicalities in the home, such as the need to maintain privacy, dissatisfaction with home care, and deterioration in health. However, the participants in this study had little or no involvement in the decision regarding respite care placement. Activities, training, and medical treatment were found to be important to respite care recipients’ satisfaction with their care.

KEYWORDS:

• respite care
• frail older people
• interviews
• residential care facilities
• community care

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the School of Life Sciences, University of Skövde, Sweden.