The idea of respite care is of recent origin, having come about largely as a result of the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1960's and 70's.

Before that time, it was generally not expected that families keep a disabled member at home: and there is considerable evidence to show that those families who chose to do so, were expected to cope with the consequences on their own. No-one asked how they did it; and only the provision of crisis orientated counselling indicated that care providers recognized that these families might sometimes have hardships.