Institutional respite care: breaking chores or breaking social bonds?

This article addresses the question of why respite care is evaluated positively by caregivers, yet is often not used by those considered to be in need of the service. Data from interviews with 144 caregivers in Canberra, Australia, are the basis for examining the relationships between five appraisal dimensions and respite care usage, both in the past and in the future. These data show that use of respite care is higher when the task demands of caregiving are high and when caregivers and care receivers are bound together in dysfunctional caregiving relationships. The factor that is most likely to reduce the likelihood that respite care will be used in the future when past use is controlled is the caregiver's appraisal of an intimate and loving relationship between caregiver and care receiver.