Prescribing residential respite care for dementia—effects, side‐effects, indications and dosage

Recent momentum for increased provision of residential respite services for people with dementia is not supported by empirical data. Yet the literature is replete with anecdotal reports indicating the efficacy of residential respite. This discrepancy may have resulted from methodological flaws in the research, lack of awareness by consumers and health professionals and great diversity in the reasons for, and among the recipients of, respite. The prescription of respite care will need to be more specific and rigorous—matching the correct dose of respite care to the needs of recipients and caregivers—for future research to demonstrate its efficacy.