In-home respite care in dementia: An evolutionary concept analysis

Objective

To clarify the concept of in-home respite care in dementia care and identify changes in the service content over time to help providers and users better understand this sustainable service.

Method

A literature search was conducted through Chinese databases China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed, as well as English databases PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Sciences, and Embase. Articles published from January 1980 to December 2024 were identified. Rogers’ conceptual analysis of evolution was used for this concept analysis, including six steps: identifying the concept and its context, selecting appropriate databases, determining relevant literature, identifying the concept’s attributes, antecedents, and consequences, choosing a concept exemplar if appropriate, and defining hypotheses and implications for further concept development.

Results

Thirty-one articles were included. This conceptual analysis revealed the evolution of in-home respite care service content over time and summarized three key attributes. The antecedents included factors related to people with dementia, family caregivers, and the social environment (aging society, government support). The consequences of in-home respite services include delayed institutional placement and reduced security risk events for people with dementia. For family caregivers, consequences include reduced caregiving stress, improved quality of life, and perceived benefits from rest periods.

Conclusion

In-home respite care can be interpreted as family-centered home care that provides temporary relief from family caregivers’ responsibilities in caring for people with dementia to reduce caregiver burden. The trend of service specialization and attention on dementia families’ needs in service provision are future research focus.