JC Stand-by-U- development and evaluation of an in-home respite service model using mixed-method quasi-experimental design: study protocol.

Background: In an ageing society, most older adults who require long-term care are still living in their homes and communities. Their families are burdened by caregiving duties, but their unique needs are often overlooked. In response to the increasing needs of respite care, the Jockey Club Stand-by-U (JC Stand-by-U) Caregivers Community Support Project aims to study the family caregivers' needs and how to best support them in the context of Hong Kong.

Methods: The caregivers and their care recipients are evaluated by a comprehensive assessment before and after the intervention and followed up in 3, 6, 12 months, separately. Caregivers are divided into four needs levels and provided by different types of services, delivered by either trained volunteers or substitute caregivers. A mixed-method quasi-experimental study with a comparison group of non-users of in-home respite will be conducted to evaluate the in-home respite model designed in this project. Questionnaire data will be used to evaluate the effect of the service model quantitatively, while the service records will be used to analyse the quality of service and the mechanism of service effect qualitatively.

Discussion: Caregivers are expected to show improvement in their mental wellbeing after the respite. The intervention follows a screening-guided approach which balances the resource supply and the needs of the caregiver, optimising the effectiveness and sustainability of the in-home respite programme. In the long-run, policymakers can ultilise the result from this study when designing long-term care plan in this ageing society.

Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT06981117, 20 May 2025, retrospectively registered.