The Washington program started as a pilot project in 1988 and went statewide in 1989. The program is administered by the state Department of Social and Health Services, Aging and Adult Services Administration, and is operated through the state's thirteen local Area Agencies on Aging. About 2,000 caregivers receive services annually. Eligible people are unpaid caregivers who have the primary responsibility for care or supervision of a functionally impaired adult who is at risk of being institutionalized. No direct payments are given to families.
Caregivers pay for available respite in the community based on a sliding fee scale.
The Wisconsin program, begun in 1986, is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Bureau on Aging and Long-Term Care Resources. To be eligible, one must be either the person with dementia or the family caregiver. Respite is delivered in a variety of ways. New York's Caregivers Resource Centers New York's resource centers, begun in 1989, are administered at the state level by the New York State Office for the Aging, and are located at the state's seventeen Area Agencies on Aging. The Minnesota projects were begun in 1992 and are administered by the state Department of Human Services, Aging and Adult Services Division.