Respite care is the short-term care that enables the parents - foster or adoptive - to take a break. A chance to go shopping for the child, attend to medical appointments, visit a child’s school, or take a little time for themselves. In-home respite care is popular for obvious reasons. The temporary caregiver comes to the regular foster/adoptive parent home, and gets to know the child in his or her normal environment. The temporary caregiver learns the family routine, where medicines are stored, and there are no issues for the child such as travel or adapting to a strange environment. In this model, friends, relatives, and paid professionals may be used.