We hope this site is helpful to families, and our community partners who are looking for respite providers, and information. We also hope that lawmakers visit this site for information and to gain a better perspective on the challenges that families face when they are caring for a family member who has some type of disability. The co-facilitators for the Colorado Respite Coalition (CRC) work part-time for the Health Care Program for Children with Special Needs, so the initial focus was to try to assist families who have children with special needs. For that reason the information on the site currently is for parents of children with special needs. Over the past year we have begun to expand our focus to include all families caring for someone with a disability. We are currently reaching out to the community who provides support and services to families caring for anyone over 21 years of age, in hopes of building a strong “lifespan respite” system in Colorado. In the spring of 2011 the CRC was part of a team working on a small federal grant application and in August of this year we were notified that the grant has been awarded to Colorado. (YEAH! We got the National Lifespan Respite Grant - Grant details will be added to this site very soon.) One of the goals of this grant is to provide a web site that will have lifespan respite resources to help families prepare for having respite, and a search engine that will offer a list of the respite providers in a particular city or zip code. At this time our Resource Directory and helpful hints pertains primarily to families who have children with special needs, but over the next year the focus will broaden to encompass the lifespan. Please bear with us as this transition takes place, and remember that many of the helpful hints can be used in a variety of situations regardless of the age.

Who we are?

The Colorado Respite Coalition (CRC) is an allied group of families and community partners who have joined together to strengthen and preserve Colorado families who are caring for a family member with special health care needs. The CRC supports current respite options, encourages respite provider networking, and facilitates the development of new safe, affordable, interactive, stimulating respite options. We have quarterly community meetings and encourage attendance by families, respite providers, and community support organizations interested in building a stronger respite infrastructure for Colorado. Our next meetings are scheduled for: January 12, 2012; April 13, 2012; July 26, 2012; and October 11, 2012 from 10 a.m. till noon. Locations may vary, so please contact either Janis De Baca or Val Saiz at the email listed below for a specific address.

What is Respite?

Respite care is a break for caregivers and families from the extreme daily stress of care giving responsibilities required for people with special health care needs. Respite care is provided by professionals or volunteers trained specifically to handle the complex needs of an individual with multiple health, physical, and emotional needs.

Did you know?

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment states that 17.6% of all children in Colorado age 1 – 14 have a special health care need. That’s an estimate of 162,000 children. * Respite is typically the most frequently requested and least available family support service. * Respite saves tax dollars by helping to prevent abuse or neglect, and provides the physical and emotional recuperation time parents need to be able to sustain their families. * Several other states have found financial advantages to providing families with respite options, such as a reduction in the need for emergency room visits and more resilient family relationships.

Colorado Respite Coalition Activities:

Foster and facilitate programmatic partnerships between various community organizations. Encourage a sharing of information and knowledge between groups who have respite programs and those who wish to initiate new programs. Support the training of professionals and volunteers who want to provide respite. Serve as a statewide resource for information that communities, organizations, and families can access for their respite needs. Raise the awareness of lawmakers about the importance of respite, as well as the severe lack of respite in Colorado, and advocate for state designated funding for respite services which would be provided directly to all families who have children with special needs. The reality for families is:

No Respite - No Peace Know Respite - Know Peace

We invite you to call or email us for more information on meetings, resources, or donations Co-chairs: Val Saiz at saizhm@comcast.net 303-619-1437 or Janis De Baca at jdebacahcp@aol.com 720-231-5268