Delaware Lifespan Respite Care Network

Welcome to Delaware Lifespan Respite Care Network

From time to time, Delaware families with caregiving responsibilities need opportunities for a break from caring for their loved one. The Delaware Lifespan Respite Care Network is here to help you find and pay for respite opportunities so you have time to relax and rejuvenate.

July 1, 2010 marked the first anniversary of the launch of the Network's services. Read the news release.

We serve caregivers of:

Children with special needs or disabilities;
Adults with special needs, disabilities, or conditions associated with aging.

Call (888) 610-5572 or New Castle County (302) 479-1690 to speak to a specialist who can help you find care and identify resources to assist you.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Currently, the Delaware Lifespan Respite Care Network is unable to accept applications for financial assistance for the remainder of 2010, but we are accepting names for a waiting list, in the event additional funds become available this year. Visit the Financial Assistance page to learn how to be placed on the waiting list.

Links to:

Find Care

Financial Assistance

Advocacy

Advisory Committee (PDF)

Resources for Families

Delaware Caregivers Support Coalition Fact Sheet (PDF)

Delaware Caregiver Statistics

Nearly 160,000 adults in Delaware provide unpaid support and care for a relative or friend.

The average caregiver in Delaware is a 52-year old woman who has been providing care for an average of 18 years and provides an average of 65 hours per week of care for a person between the ages of 2 and 90.

The type of care provided by caregivers includes bathing, feeding, dressing, transportation, medical care, grocery shopping and household chores.

Caregivers identify their greatest concerns to be emotional strain, financial stress and conflict with employment (CDS, 2005)

Center for Disabilities Studies (U of DE) staff for publication in the Delaware Caregivers Support Coalition final report on respite care in December, 2007.

M.J. Gibson and A. House, "Valuing the Invaluable: The Economic Value of Family Caregiving, 2008 Update," Insight on the Issues 13, November, 2008. AARP Public Policy Institute.