Family Respite for the Elderly Alzheimer's Patient

Respite services for families of Alzheimer's patients are quite new. Conceptualization of the issues involved as well as the objectives for program application can best be developed in response to varied experience. The family respite program described in this paper has helped to identify the importance of patient assessment in relation to the services offered as well as the role of the nursing home in providing such services. By placing this description in the context of social policy, community values and family expectations one begins to understand the importance of respite in helping to maintain the frail elderly in their own homes.