Disability Respite Services in Co. Donegal - identification of needs & experiences of users

Respite support is widely considered to be one of the most critical supports offered to those with a disability and their families. It allows the individual with a disability a social outlet that promotes independence, wellbeing, fun & friendships, it allows a primary carer rest & recharge, and it can a significant impact on other family members (including siblings) to allow them space and time to reduce stress, access social activities and improve overall wellbeing.

We have heard from family carers that there are many issues with respite availability and provision in Co. Donegal. The purpose of this research was to help identify the needs for respite and to understand the user experiences of existing respite provision & respite availability.

To do this we heard from over 150 family carers in the county, we spoke to individuals with a disability to understand the value of respite to them and we spoke to providers of respite services across the county to learn more about their services and the challenges they face.

We hope that this report will provide an insight to the user experience and needs for respite in Co. Donegal with a view to understanding where the needs are and the impact of respite support to families and individuals with a disability.

To access the full report see here:

Disability Respite Services in Co. Donegal Report August 2025.pdf

Download PDF • 4.42MB

A huge thanks to all those who participated in this study especially the families who attended focus groups, spoke to us one to one, provided beautiful artwork and participated in our survey.