Mn. Ozawa et N. Morrowhowell, MISSOURI SERVICE CREDIT SYSTEM FOR RESPITE CARE - AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY, Journal of gerontological social work, 21(1-2), 1993, pp. 147-160
The aim of respite care services is to alleviate the stress placed on
primary caregivers of the frail elderly. This article describes an inn
ovative respite care program in Missouri that incorporates a service c
redit system as an incentive for volunteers to participate. It also pr
esents the findings of an exploratory study on the volunteers who part
icipated in the program. Among other things, the study found that the
volunteers' level of satisfaction with the program was extremely high
and that those who were less healthy, were recipients of Supplemental
Security Income, and had never done volunteer work before, took the se
rvice credit system more seriously than did others.