North Carolina General Statutes 143B-181.10. Respite care program established; eligibility; services; administration; payment rates
(a) A respite care program is established to provide needed relief to caregivers of impaired adults who cannot be left alone because of mental or physical problems.
(b) Those eligible for respite care under the program established by this section are limited to those unpaid primary caregivers who are caring for people 60 years of age or older and their spouses, or those unpaid primary caregivers 60 years of age or older who are caring for persons 18 years of age or older, who require constant supervision and who cannot be left alone either because of memory impairment, physical immobility, or other problems that renders them unsafe alone.
(c) Respite care services provided by the programs established by this section may include:
(1) Counseling and training in the caregiving role, including coping mechanisms and behavior modification techniques;
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 143B-181.10
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
(2) Counseling and accessing available local, regional, and State services;
(3) Support group development and facilitation;
(4) Assessment and care planning for the patient of the caregiver;
(5) Attendance and companion services for the patient in order to provide release time to the caregiver;
(6) Personal care services, including meal preparation, for the patient of the caregiver;
(7) Temporarily placing the person out of his home to provide the caregiver total respite when the mental or physical stress on the caregiver necessitates this type of respite.
Program funds may provide no more than the current adult care. An out of home placement is defined as placement in a hospital, skilled or intermediate nursing facility, adult care home, adult day health center, or adult day care center. Duration of the service period may extend beyond a year.
(d) The respite care program established by this section shall be administered by the Division of Aging consistent with the policies and procedures of the Older Americans Act. The programs shall be coordinated with other appropriate Divisions in the Department of Health and Human Services, and with agencies and organizations concerned with the delivery of services to frail older adults and their unpaid caregivers. The Division shall choose respite care provider agencies in accordance with procedures outlined under the Older Americans Act and shall include the following criteria: documented capacity to provide care, adequacy of quality assurance, training, supervision, abuse prevention, complaint mechanisms, and cost. All funds allocated by the Division pursuant to this section shall be allocated on the same basis as funding under the Older Americans Act.
(e) Funding for the Division of Aging to administer this program shall not exceed the percentage allowed for administration as provided in the Older Americans Act but shall not be less than that budgeted for administration in fiscal year 1988-89.
(f) Unless prohibited by federal law, caregivers receiving respite care services through the program established by this section shall pay for some of the services on a sliding scale depending on their ability to pay. The Division of Aging, in consultation with the Councils of Governments in each region, shall specify rates of payment for the services. (1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 1014, s. 7.1; 1989, c. 500, s. 96(a); c. 770, s. 63; 1991, c. 332, s. 1; 1995, c. 535, s. 34; 1997-443, s. 11A.118(a); 1998-97, s. 1; 2000-50, s. 1.)