Respite: Cultural Values in North American and Caribbean Caregiving

Providing home health care to family members presents many physical and psychological stressors. Health care professionals frequently counsel family caregivers to seek respite by temporarily delegating caregiving responsibilities to others. However, when viewed from the perspective of rhetoric, definitions of respite as private time away from the care recipient are culturally bound ideographs and may not be appropriate outside North America. This qualitative study explored North American-trained social workers practising on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts as they promoted a concept of respite care defined by North American norms. Family caregivers interviewed rejected this model of respite care, situating their caregiving within the context of established family relationships.