The Alzheimer's Respite Care Program is an innovative project designed to serve caregivers of Alzheimer's clients. This unique model offers both in-home and institutionally based respite care. Two community organizations which offer Adult Day Care respite forged a partnership to coordinate and expand their continuum of care, bringing many of the benefits of a day care setting into the home. This paper compares the original project conceptualization with its current design today. Factors affecting this evolution are explored together with program modifications incorporated to more appropriately respond to local needs. Key marketing strategies are discussed coupled with a presentation of program successes and recommendations for the future.

The prevalence of dementia in American society is an important statistic. In order to allocate public dollars to both research and service programs designed for cognitively impaired persons and their families, and to aid policy makers at the community level in planning for services and facilities to meet the needs of their populations, accurate estimates of persons with dementia are critical. Inaccurate figures can lead to inefficiency in allocating resources at both the national and local levels, underutilization of resources resulting from overestimated demand, or barriers to access arising from excess demand for insufficient services.