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Genetics : respite_care

Respite Care

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What is Respite Care?

How can I get Respite Care?

State Respite Resources

 

 

 

What is Respite Care?

   Respite care is……

  • A service that provides short term, temporary relief to caregivers of children and youth with special health care needs;
  • A service that provides the child or youth with a break from his or her caregiver; and
  • May take place in or outside of the home, including camps;
  • May be provided for a few hours or over several days depending on the needs of the caregiver and the child;
  • May be planned in advanced or made available to assist in a crisis or an emergency situation.

Why is Respite Care important?

Respite care is important because it provides children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and their families with a break from their daily routine. It is an opportunity for children and youth to have new experiences, build new skills, develop independence and make new friends. For caregivers and families, respite is an opportunity to rest or tend to other family matters. Respite is essential to the well-being of caregivers. It enables them to resume the daily and protracted care of their children with special health care needs.

How can I get Respite Care?

The Office for Genetics and Children with Special Health Care Needs provides funding to many of the Local Health Departments for respite care. To be eligible, you must be:

  • A child/youth with a special health care need;
  • Age 0 -21; and
  • A Maryland resident and living in a county or city funded to provide respite services.

Please click on the link Local County Contacts for CYSHCN to find out what services are available in your county and supported through the Office for Genetics and Children with Special Health Care Needs. Individual Counties and Local Health Departments may offer other services for CYSHCN not listed here.

Click on http://www.family-networks.org/camp.cfm to find a camp in your community

Are there other State Respite Resources?

Yes, the following state agencies also provide funding for Respite Care.

Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA)
DDA provides funding to children and adults with developmental disabilities or a severe, chronic disability caused by a physical or mental condition, other than a sole diagnosis of mental illness, for a variety of services including respite.

The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) provides funding to children and adults with developmental disabilities. The DDA funds Low Intensity Support Services (LISS) which are support services established under Maryland Health-General Article 7-717. The program is designed to enable a family to provide for the needs of a child or an adult with developmental disabilities living in the home or to support an adult with developmental disabilities living in the community. LISS Services are flexible to meet the needs of individuals or families and are designed to meet short-term needs such as respite, summer programs, and other supports.

The LISS program uses a "request form" to gather the necessary information about the person and the services they are seeking. LISS funds will not reimburse for expenses previously incurred and paid for prior to requesting Low Intensity Support Services funding.

The DDA contracts with five DDA-licensed Family and Individual Support Service providers to administer the LISS program. For more information on Low Intensity Support Services including frequently asked questions, request forms, and provider contact information, visit http://www.ddamaryland.org/liss.htm

For ongoing or long-term DDA funding, a person or family must complete the eligibility process including an application. Information on the eligibility process is available at http://www.ddamaryland.org/eligibility.htm. People do not need to fill out the traditional DDA application for services in order to apply for LISS.

For Additional Resource Information Contact:

Department of Human Resources (DHR) Respite Program Telephone:410-767-7384 DHR's Respite Program is administered through the Community Services Administration/ Office of Adult Services. Respite is available to children and adults with developmental or functional disabilities. Please click on the link http://www.dhr.state.md.us/oas/respite.htm for a list of agencies that provide funding for respite services for the Department of Human Resources:

Maryland Department of Aging (DOA) Telephone: 1-800-243-3425. The DOA provides funding to grandparents and other relative caregivers over the age of sixty who are the primary caregiver for a child age 18 or younger. For more information click on the link: http://www.mdoa.state.md.us/caregiver.html.

Mental Hygiene Administration (MHA) Telephone: 1-800-888-1965
MHA provides limited funding for respite services to children and youth who have Medical Assistance (Medicaid) and require mental health services. For a list of core services click on the link http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/mha/csa.htm.
You may also contact the OGCSHCN for more information at 1-800-638-8864.