In Home Respite Care

What our families say about Respite Care:

"The loss of this program would be devastating. There would be absolutely no relief for me."
(Single mother of a severely retarded and behaviorally challenged teenaged son.)

"Our whole family needs respite. I need breaks from my children and they need breaks from me."
(Mother of two children, one with cerebral palsy.)

"Our love for our child is enormous and keeping him home with us is the most important thing in our lives. The pressure of caring for his daily needs builds up constantly. The breaks we get from respite care means so much to us."
(Parents of a child with cerebral palsy.)

Respite is defined by Webster's Dictionary as a delay or postponement and an interval of temporary relief or rest. We believe that respite is a gift of time. Our trained and experienced workers come to the home of the disabled family member and care for the individual, thereby enabling other family members to have respite. It can be an opportunity to spend time with family and friends, time to go shopping or take in a movie, or perhaps just time to be by oneself without the worry and responsibility that goes with maintaining a disabled family member in the home setting.

Our respite program provides eligible families with up to 20 hours of in home respite service per month. This program is funded by the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities (NJDDD) and serves children and adults of all ages. There is no fee for this service.

Once a family is registered with NJ DDD and is approved for respite care, the Arc of Cumberland County will work with the family in assigning an Arc staff person who will come into the family home on a scheduled basis. While in the home, the respite worker will follow a goal-training schedule developed by the disabled family member, the family, and Arc staff.

We are currently exploring out of home respite options that will allow the disabled family member to leave the home and attend community based recreational activities. Please ask us about this option.

For more information about Respite Services, please contact:

Cindy Stark
Coordinator of Family Support Services
Phone: 856-691-9138
Email: fssp@comcast.net