Respite services for children with life-limiting conditions and their families in Ireland
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence & Practice Previous     Next

Respite services for children with life-limiting conditions and their families in Ireland

Katie Hill Care coordinator, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, Dublin, Butterfly Children’s Hospices, China

Appropriate respite care for children with life-limiting conditions (LLC) and their families is the cornerstone of high quality paediatric care. The effect of caring for children with LLC on families, including parental needs, cannot be underestimated and respite can give families support while caring for their children. There are many different types of respite care available in Ireland, including specialist respite, inhome respite or out-of-home respite; the wishes of the family should be sought when arranging care. Comparisons between Ireland and the UK have drawn similarities in the benefits and limitations of respite care. Although there are many positive attributes associated with respite care, there are inconsistencies between best practice recommendations and reality. Worldwide issues remain with a lack of funding for respite care. Such care should become an area which attracts funding for future research to improve the quality of life for these children.

Nursing Children and Young People. 28, 10, 30-35. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2016.e658

Correspondence

khill@tcd.ie

Peer review

This article has been subject to open peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

Conflict of interest

None

Received: 20 May 2015

Accepted: 15 August 2016

Your organisation does not have access to this article
Recommend to your librarian
RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

OR

3-month trial offer for �5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more