Adults with intellectual disability in long-term respite care: a qualitative study

Although respite care is intended to provide short-term and temporary relief for caregivers, it has unintentionally become a long-term placement for some individuals with developmental disability. In an effort to understand why some individuals remain in respite care on a long-term basis, we audited the files of 10 adults with developmental disability who had been living in three respite care units for 12–24 months. Several individual (e.g., challenging behaviours, severe disability, lack of communication skills) and family characteristics (e.g., single parent/carer status, poor health, and non-English speaking background) appeared consistent across the sample. The results suggest that there may be benefit in systematic planning for respite care, especially with older single-parent families who have adult children with high support needs, challenging behaviour, and severe communication impairment.