People

Background. People with learning disabilities have become increasingly exposed to health risk with the move to community living. Yet, health promotion is poorly developed with a heavy reliance on primary care.

Objectives. To elicit the perceptions of people with learning disabilities, carers and care workers regarding risk factors associated with cardiac disease.

During National Learning Disability Week, Mencap launched its Breaking Point campaign to get more short breaks for family carers. Mencap's survey showed that 6 out of 10 carers of people with severe or profound learning disabilities surveyed by Mencap were getting no short break service. Many local authorities do not see these families as a priority. Mencap wants spending in this area to be closely checked. As part of a campaign, people emailed their MP. So far, more than 1,000 people have emailed their MP. [Journal abstract]

Objective To determine the effectiveness of community based occupational therapy on daily functioning of patients with dementia and the sense of competence of their care givers.

Design Single blind randomised controlled trial. Assessors were blinded for treatment allocation.

Setting Memory clinic and day clinic of a geriatrics department and participants' homes.

Participants 135 patients aged ≥65 with mild to moderate dementia living in the community and their primary care givers.

Partners appear to be the main perpetrators of neglect according to a new report that has triggered a government review of its No Secrets adult protection guidance. The author reports. 

This article reports the findings of a literature review of research that has explored the support experiences of family carers of a person with an intellectual disability who displays challenging behaviour and/or has a mental health problem. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the reported experiences of family carers from recent research studies, about their own support. Having discussed the search strategy, definitions of challenging behaviour and mental health/illness are presented.

Concerns raised over number of prosecutions made against care staff or carers for ill-treatment or wilful neglect of people subject to the Mental Health Act or Mental Capacity Act. [Journal abstract]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine relatives’ perception of an assistive technology intervention aimed at persons with dementia (PwDs) and their relatives, and to examine whether, and how, experiences of the intervention process differed between relatives valuing the intervention to be of high, and relatives perceiving it to be of low significance. Method: A total of 47 relatives of PwDs within the Swedish Technology and Dementia project were interviewed telephonically using a modified version of the Patient perspective on Care and Rehabilitation process instrum

Objective To assess whether a manual based coping strategy compared with treatment as usual reduces depression and anxiety symptoms in carers of family members with dementia. Design Randomised, parallel group, superiority trial. Setting Three mental health community services and one neurological outpatient dementia service in London and Essex, UK. Participants 260 carers of family members with dementia.

Objective: Demonstration studies of community treatment as an alternative to hospitalization have reported high degrees of satisfaction by family carers. We aimed to determine the extent of carer preference for hospital versus community treatment for acute mental illness in a routine setting where carers had experienced both service types.

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive and associative factors of the carer's general well-being, specifically concerning carers offering support to those diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Results showed that the sole predictive factor of the carers general well-being were the difficulties perceived with behavioural change and cognitive status within the PSP person.