In-home respite care in dementia: An evolutionary concept analysis.
Huiyue Zhang, Min Yin, Xue Nan and 2 others
PMID 40786855WHAT IT FOUND
For dementia families, in-home respite care is described as a short, home-based substitution for caregiver duties, preserving routines and keeping the person at home.
It is framed as patient- and caregiver-centered, not just household help.
Key findings
01The analysis identified three core attributes of in-home respite care for dementia: temporary substitution for family caregiver responsibilities, home-based care that preserves household cohesion, and patient- and caregiver-centered care.
02The included literature described a trend toward specialized, professional in-home respite services that address cognitive and behavioral symptoms and caregiver emotional well-being.
03The analysis reported consequences described in included studies, including delayed institutional placement, reduced security risk events, caregiver relief, and improved caregiver quality of life.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The paper is a concept analysis of published articles, not a trial or patient study, so it cannot show that in-home respite care works. The included articles were heterogeneous in country, service provider, and content, and the authors noted inconsistent conclusions about what in-home respite care should include. Some included studies discussed in-home respite care within broader respite care topics, and some data could not be extracted thoroughly. The search was limited to English or Chinese articles. The authors noted a limited number of related studies.
Declared interests
The authors disclosed no relevant conflict of interest. The work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that in-home respite care delays institutionalization or improves caregiver quality of life. It is a concept analysis of published articles, and the positive consequences it lists were described in the included literature, not tested in this paper.