Is respite care available for chronically ill seniors?

OBJECTIVE To determine family physicians' perceptions of how available resp ite care is and how easy it is to refer chronically ill older people to it, and to examine their opinions of respite care. DESIGN Mailed surrey to family physicians on the Thames Valley Family Pract ice Research Unit's mailing list. SETTING London, Ont, and surrounding area. PARTICIPANTS Of the 448 surveys mailed to eligible physicians, 288 were com pleted and returned for a response rate of 64.3%. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Respondents' perceptions of how available respite car e is and how easy it is to refer chronically ill older people to it and the ir opinions on the effectiveness of respite care. RESULTS More than half the respondents reported that outpatient respite car e is always available, but how available depended on practice location. Inp atient respite care was reported as less available. More than half the resp ondents found referral to respite care difficult. Respondents were very pos itive about the role of respite services in long-term care and in lowering caregiver stress. Respondents' perceptions varied according to where they h ad attended medical school. Their perceptions of respite care's role in lon g-term care and in helping patients remain at home were influenced by wheth er they thought respite care was available. CONCLUSION Family physicians need education in the value of respite service s for their chronically ill older patients and their families. Physicians a lso need information on the respite services available and strategies for a ccessing them. Our findings suggest a need for greater attention to regiona l discrepancies in availability of services.