Abstract

Parents of children with a life-limiting illness provide constant, around-the-clock care, often leaving little time for their well-being. This responsibility is emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding, and without proper support, parents face increased risk of depression, burnout, and deteriorating health. Respite services offer relief by providing a much-needed break and allowing parents the opportunity for self-care and improved well-being. Though the benefits of respite are well documented, these services remain underutilized due to barriers such as limited provider awareness, lack of access, and emotional challenges the parents face. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aims to address these barriers by educating clinical staff on properly identifying parents needing respite services and by providing a toolkit designed to address the emotional concerns, increase awareness, and improve referral rates. A mixed-methods approach will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the education provided and determine whether referrals to respite services and respite utilization have increased, thereby enhancing the lives of parents and children affected.

Author Details

Michelle Montanez, DNP(c), MSN-L, RN

Sigma Membership

Lambda Omicron

Type

DNP Capstone Project

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Quality Improvement

Research Approach

Mixed/Multi Method Research

Keywords:

Respite Care, Burden of Care, Pediatric Palliative Care, Palliative Treatment, Pediatrics, Barriers, Children

Advisor

Dawn Rivas

Degree

DNP

Degree Grantor

Northern Arizona University

Degree Year

2026

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Self-submission

Date of Issue

2026-05-18

Full Text of Presentation

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