[Issue Brief: Respite Care - Page 3]

between $11 billion and $29 billion per year because of caregiving responsibilities and increased caregiver health concerns.⁹ Additionally, the stress, burnout and depression associated with caregiving results in earlier institutionalization for many care recipients. Research has clearly shown that home care costs significantly less than care in long-term care facilities (i.e. nursing homes, residential care, etc.).¹⁰

Benefits of Respite Care Services
Respite care alone can not effectively address all of the needs of caregivers. As discussed above, considerable diversity exists among the population receiving care, as well as among the caregivers themselves. No single type of program can adequately fit the various caregiving situations. However, respite care does offer an array of benefits for both the caregiver and the care recipient. When surveyed, caregivers name respite as their highest priority need among auxiliary services.¹²

In general, studies show that respite care benefits the caregiver by decreasing emotional and physical stress, by increasing quality of life and by postponing the costly and painful decision to utilize a long term care facility.¹³

Respite services also benefit care recipients by:

• preventing abuse or neglect,
• delaying or averting institutionalization (the vast majority of care recipients prefer to remain in their home) and
• providing opportunities to build new relationships and feel a sense of independence.¹⁴
  
  Furthermore, avoiding early institutionalization saves taxpayers money (i.e. 58% of nursing home costs are picked up by the publicly funded programs of Medicare and Medicaid).¹⁵ Respite care not only saves money, but it provides a break for caregivers to tend to their own needs and come back healthy and reenergized.
  

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