Tag: family caregiver

New Funding for Children and Youth Behavioral Health Respite

Posted on by Nicol Walsh

A Brief Overview

  • Respite care (short breaks) is important for all parents and other family caregivers. Being overwhelmed by caregiving tasks with no breaks is not good for the family caregiver and the person getting care.
  • WA State has been approved for additional Medicaid funding to provide respite for family caregivers of youth with high (complex) behavioral/mental health needs
  • This short article is advance notice about this new funding and who may be eligible.
  • There will be an important public hearing at 10 AM July 21, 2026 about this new respite program, to help the state decide how it will work. Family caregivers’ feedback at this hearing will help decide how the new respite program will work.

Article

In 2026, respite care for family caregivers of children and youth with behavioral health needs was approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through a 1115 (Medicaid Demonstration) Waiver. Caregiver respite will be a service through WA State’s Department of Heath’s (DOH) Health-Related Social Needs. DOH is still planning how this will work, but overworked family caregivers are advised to be aware of the situation and start the process for receiving respite.

Part of the planning is the rulemaking process. Rulemaking means creating rules or guidelines for a new program. A public hearing on this matter is scheduled for July 21 at 10am, and is open to all. It’s important for family caregivers to share their opinions during the hearing so that rules and guidelines include their point of view and needs. The rulemaking process for caregiver respite is currently being led by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).

The current goal date for caregiver respite to go into effect is January 2027.

The first groups to be served are children and youth up to age 20 with complex behavioral health needs requiring supervision by an unpaid (usually family) caregiver. Examples of programs serving this population include but are not limited to: Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe), Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS), and outpatient community behavioral health programs. If your child or youth are served by these or very similar programs, you, as the family caregiver, may qualify for the new respite services.

To receive these respite services, families with children or youth with behavioral health issues need to be screened and approved by the Health Related Social Needs (HRSN) services.  This can be done by a direct referral by a healthcare provider or social worker, a Community Care hub, or by a care coordinator from an MCO (Managed Care Organization). To find a local Community Care Hub, use this sheet from the Washington Health Care Authority (HCA). Community Care Hubs provide many services in addition to respite referrals, so any family on, or that is eligible for, Medicaid or Apple Heath who is struggling with housing, food, and other necessities, are advised to look into those options.

Asking for Help is a Selfless Act for Family Caregivers

Posted on by Barb Koumjian

Many family caregivers find it difficult to ask for help in taking care of their loved ones. Whether it’s because they don’t want to burden others, not wanting to admit they need help, or feel that it’s “something that family does”, caregivers often don’t ask for help, or they reject help when it is offered. Despite the best intentions behind this, it’s not good for the caregiver or the person they care for. Overburdened and overwhelmed caregivers are not as effective at caregiving. Their loved one, who can tell that their caregiver is exhausted, may feel frustrated and guilty. Getting assistance from outside sources is helpful for everyone. Use these ideas to begin!

Start small: Ease into taking caregiving breaks (respite breaks). If a friend or family member offers to stay with your loved one, make the first respite break short. Have them take over care while you take a shower, run an errand, or take a walk. These short breaks will allow your friend or family member to get a feel for caregiving and allow you and the person you care for to adjust. This easing into respite can be especially important if the person you care for is an individual with intellectual or developmental disabilities or a person with dementia who has trouble adjusting to change.

Think about the interests and strengths of your friends and family. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, things they enjoy and things they dislike. Keep these in mind when using a family member or friend to help with caregiving. Allow your cousin who loves to cook to make a meal and your neighbor who loves to drive around town take your loved one to appointments. If a potential caregiver and your loved one have something in common that they enjoy, all the better.

Be prepared: Before anyone starts helping, put together a full sheet of information on the person you care for. This should include medications, schedule, likes and dislikes, and emergency contact information. Include what you want the caregiver to do, like help with bathing, cooking, or exercises.

Timing is everything: Ask for help in respite care during a time that is convenient for the potential respite caregiver. This means contacting them at a time when you know they will not be busy and asking their help at times when they are not working or are busy with other responsibilities. If you don’t know their specific schedule, ask when they might be free to help.

Be honest: When you ask for caregiving help, honesty is the best policy. Explain to the potential caregiver why you need a break, and why you think they would be a great person to help fill that gap. Also be up front about your concerns, as they will help the potential caregiver decide if they feel comfortable helping.

Accept the word “no”: Not everyone is comfortable being a caregiver, even if they have been one in the past. People’s lives are busy, they have plenty of other stress, and sometimes they have private issues that would keep them from being a respite caregiver. This doesn’t mean that they care about you or your loved one any less; it just means that they are not mentally or physically able to help in this manner. You can always ask for other forms of help, like having them run errands for you when you are too busy or bringing a meal occasionally. Allowing someone to say no to caregiving but still help when needed is valuable to everyone involved.

Plan ahead: You never know when you will need emergency respite, so having a couple of people on standby who have some experience in caregiving for your loved one is essential. Read more about planning for emergency respite in our article “Do You Have an Emergency Respite Plan?”

Share the care: Just as no single person should have to be completely responsible for another person’s care, so there should be more than one respite caregiver. Think critically about your own friends and family who would be willing to help, along with the friends and family of the person who needs care, some of whom you may not know as well. They may wish to help, but don’t know how to ask. Having several people help from time to time means none of them get burnt out, and your loved one gets to see an array of friendly faces.

What about reaching beyond family and immediate friends to the groups in which you have been active, such as your exercise class members, your faith community, your parent group, etc. You might say something like “I haven’t been to book group in a while because I’ve been caring for my father, and I’m badly in need of a break. Do you think you might be able to come over and read to Dad for an hour next week?”

Think about professional respite care: There are a variety of ways to afford professional services for the person receiving care. Explore these resources from PAVE: