Staff and home caregiver expectations of residential respite care for older people.

It is generally agreed that relieving the burden experienced by home caregivers caring for older people should be one of the main aims for respite services that are provided. Over the past four years the use of residential respite care has quadrupled in Australia but it remains underutilised. To improve the uptake of this valued service, one hundred home caregivers and 25 staff from residential aged care facilities were surveyed about why residential respite care was being used and what their expectations were. This study provided insight into the value that is placed on residential respite care by identifying reasons and expectations for use so that nursing care and service provision can be continually directed at meeting these needs.