Carers

Having been diagnosed with dementia at the age of 70, Brian and his wife June now actively participate in planning dementia care services in Gloucestershire. The film illustrates the range of activities they are involved in - developing a ‘Living Well Handbook’, giving talks and helping shape training tools. It also highlights how commissioners, support organisations and carers all have a role to play in enabling the person with dementia to share their knowledge and experience for the benefit of others.

Investigates the legal and practical issues surrounding the proposals to allow carers of people with severe dementia or profound learning difficulties to access 'indirect payments' through and expansion of the direct payments scheme. This would allow individuals who might not be able to access payments themselves to benefit from the flexibility and choice of direct payments.

A study by the National Institute for Social Work suggests that estimates can be made about the length of time that a person with dementia will need community and long term care services. This can be done based on an assessment of the severity of dementia at the time of the community care assessment. The author highlights the need for an appraisal of local old age psychiatry services and eligibility criteria, and the importance of monitoring carers' ability and willingness to provide care.

The views of carers are often overlooked, but the winner of the Cancer Nursing category at the 2005 NT Awards put them at the centre of a project to improve care for patients with lung cancer, reports Clare Lomas. [Introduction]

A fifth of adults with learning difficulties live with elderly parent. This article looks at how well the social care sector is serving this population of carers.

This is a revision of the framework first published in 2010, and is a whole system guide that provides information, guidance and signposts in respect of personalisation and personalised services and support for people with mental health needs. The framework is organised in 12 broad sections: person-centred systems and approaches; information and advice.

Website providing a range of resources to help support social work practice with carers. It aims help social workers to develop a better understanding of the issues carers face and provides tools to help put this learning into practice. Resources cover general information about social work with carers, links to resources about social work law and practice, tools and training materials. The site also includes five case studies which illustrate how social work can provide support to carers.

This article looks at one model of how mental health professionals relate to carers and families.  It then goes on to consider some research on aspects of the family environment, and the impact that mental illness has on how clients and families relate to one another.  Finally it offers suggestions as to how this material might be relevant to our approach to social work in mental health.

The aim of this multimedia learning resource is to provide a broad introduction to the issues affecting minority ethnic carers and service users with an emphasis on achieving cultural competence within individual practice.

Reports on a study which investigates how universities have engaged with carers and carer organisations in developing the new social work degree. The research was commissioned by the department of Health through Carers UK and City and Guilds Affinity.