An annotated bibliography on respite care for children and families.

Abstract

With an increasing emphasis on home care, more and more children with severe disabilities and chronic-acute health impairments will be cared for at home. Care of these children places great financial, physical, and emotional strains on families. Adequate support for families is essential to prevent costly rehospitalization, foster placement, or worse. Respite care is a supportive service that is an important part of every effective plan for home care. This bibliography offers annotations on a range of materials directly addressing or closely related to the topic of respite care for children and families. The bibliography will be useful for the reader searching for general material on the topic as well as the reader interested in specific aspects of respite care, including family perceptions, program models, funding issues, and training. Annotations on articles, reports, books, and some government materials are provided. Additionally, a listing of training materials, and where they can be obtained, is provided without annotations after the bibliography.