Respite Care Service Program on hold for further planning

Next year’s planned launch of the Commonwealth Respite Service Program has been tabled for further discussion during the May 13 board meeting of the Council on Developmental Disabilities.

A memorandum of agreement between CDD and Ayuda Network, Inc. has also been tabled for further discussion.

Ayuda had earlier been chosen as CDD’s community-based organization to implement and facilitate a program to provide a comprehensive and coordinated respite care services for qualified clients in the CNMI.

CDD chair Thomas Camacho said the Commonwealth Respite Service Program already has its rules and regulations and all they’re waiting for is its implementation and accompanying voucher system.

Camacho said the program cannot be implemented without having an “outside entity”—a community-based organization—to do it.

“The CDD cannot provide these services because it conflicts with CDD’s purpose, which is an assistance advocate,” Camacho said. “So we have decided to table the program for now.”

He said it would cost $53,102 to set up the program on its first year.

Camacho noted that CDD had wanted to work with the Office on Aging since it already has a respite service program for the man’amko.

Office on Aging executive director Walter Manglona said that he and Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Laura Ogumoro had talked about this and they had contacted their grantor agency to discuss the matter.

Manglona said that, according to their grantor agency, “they are very specific on how we utilize the funding.”

“We have a respite program already in place so for an additional introductory, for example CDD, we can assist but at this moment I was kind of reluctant to take on such a responsibility, especially with all the things that needs to be done with only one staff,” Manglona said.

Office on Aging only has one employee that oversees the National Family Care Giver Support Program.

Manglona said they could possibly work with CDD in the future once they are able to train more personnel to handle the program.

Respite care is a temporary relief for primary caregivers to prevent individual and family breakdown, institutionalization of the person being cared for, or abuse by the primary caregiver as a result of stress from giving continuous support and care to a dependent person.

CDD executive director Pam Sablan said they have tried to approach other agencies such as childcare centers on Saipan about providing respite services but it didn’t work out.