Perceptions of Respite Services as Predictors of Utilization

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the extent to which family caregivers of Alzheimer's patients use publicly subsidized respite programs. A model linking caregivers' attitudes concerning the convenience, quality of care, and perceived usefulness of a particular respite program to levels of respite use is hypothesized and tested. One hundred fourteen caregivers throughout Michigan who were eligible for respite services under the auspices of the Michigan Model Respite Program and caring for a noninstitutionalized elder with Alzheimer's disease participated in the study. Controlling for functional limitations of the elder, health of the caregiver, use of other support services, perceptions concerning the usefulness of respite, and the convenience of respite use were found to have significant direct effects on the level of actual respite use. Perceptions of program convenience affected service use indirectly by influencing caregivers' perceptions of program usefulness.