Special Needs Respite Care Guide: Quality Care and Your Caregiver

You've researched, interviewed and hired an individual or respite care facility to provide care for your child with special needs. It's important to evaluate the quality of care periodically so you can make sure you're child's needs are being met and that your caregiver is satisfied with the work situation.

Schedule a weekly appointment with your caregiver (or a check-in with your respite care facility director) to discuss the ongoing care relationship. If the respite care is infrequent, you should still check in with the caregiver or care facility about continuing the care relationship.

• Spend some time each week (more at the beginning) observing the care in action. If respite care occurs overnight, pop in periodically if at all possible.

• Ask your child about the caregiver, if possible, and get his reaction. Even if your child can't provide a thorough review of the caregiver, he can certainly give you his gut feeling, or a thumbs-up or down about the care.

• Ask your caregiver for feedback and suggestions as well as any concerns she might have about the caregiving relationship.

• Keep a log-book with updates and information to share with caregivers who are involved with your child. Let your caregiver write in the log about her caregiving experience each day or week -- this is a good way to keep track of any issues that need to be resolved.

• If there are any problems or issues, use your weekly meeting to start finding solutions and options. Don't let conflicts or problems simmer; finding a resolution at the beginning of a conflict is much easier than trying to find one after the problem has escalated.

• If you are using a care facility for respite care, find out if your child has a favorite caregiver at the center. If so, request that her preferred caregiver will be there when your child visits. Find out if you can speak with that specific caregiver after your child's visit to the facility.

Enjoy your time off! Respite care provides much-needed and well-deserved breaks for dedicated parents, family members, care recipients and caregivers. Preventing burn-out is crucial for creating long-lasting quality care relationships.

Lisa Tabachnick Hotta writes about parenting, health, and social issues