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Et, Al

A sense of security for cancer patients at home: the role of community nurses

The present paper reports on a qualitative research project designed to expose the presently unrecognised minutiae of community nurses’ work with cancer patients at home, and to identify the ways in which these, combined to form comprehensive care episodes, contribute to physical and psychosocial well-being. The project was conducted in two locations in New South Wales, Australia, one metropolitan and one rural.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

Integrating health and social care: commentaries on the case studies in MCC 10.2

Three expert commentaries have been written about the approaches to health and social care integration in Sandwell, Hertfordshire and Barking & Dagenham which were described in the last issue of this journal. They cover organisational, user/carer and international perspectives

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

Sustained informal care: the feasibility, construct validity and test–retest reliability of the CarerQol-instrument to measure the impact of informal care in long-term care

This study investigated the feasibility, validity and reliability of the Carer Quality of Life (CarerQol) instrument among informal carers of long-term care users. CarerQol-VAS measured the impact of informal care by assessing happiness, and CarerQol-7D described burden dimensions. Participants included 100 informal carers of patients obtaining day care or living in a long-term care facility in the Netherlands. Construct validity assessed the extent to which differences in background characteristics were reflected in happiness scores with univariate and multivariate statistics.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

Evaluating the quality of educational materials about schizophrenia

To identify and evaluate the reliability and quality of educational materials provided to individuals with schizophrenia and their carers. Materials used by mental health professionals working in community and in-patient settings were collated. Two independent raters used the ‘Discern’ questionnaire to assess the publications.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

The attitudes of people with Huntington's disease and their carers to research

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitude and understanding of research among people with Huntington's disease (HD) and their carers, as well as their experiences of research participation. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants with HD (ranging from pre-symptomatic to moderately severe HD) and ten carers.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

The experience and practice of approved social workers in Northern Ireland

This article reports on the first extensive survey of Approved Social Worker (ASW) activity under the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. The integrated health and social services organizational structure, the adverse effects on individual mental health of the legacy of thirty years of civil conflict and the move from hospital to community care are significant features which have influenced the delivery of mental health social work services locally.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

A qualitative study of the experiences of long-term care for residents with dementia, their relatives and staff

Most older people living in 24-hour care settings have dementia. We employed qualitative interviews to explore positive and negative aspects of the experience of family carers, staff and people with dementia living in 10 homes in London and West Essex, selected to cover the full range of 24-hour long-term care settings. The interview used open semi-structured questions.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

A support group for caregivers of patients with frontotemporal dementia

Several recent articles have pointed out that caregivers of patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) need counselling and support. To date, however, no support groups have been provided other than those available to caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). At our outpatient unit for cognitive disorders we initiated a specific support group for caregivers of patients with FTD.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

Family systems and mental health issues: a resilience approach

In many cases the consumers of mental health information and support are the families of mental health sufferers. The aim of the project was to understand resilience in people who live with or support a family member with a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness. Participants were 15 carers (one male, 14 female). Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed using content analysis. Eight recurring themes emerged which indicated the challenges the carers faced and provided indications of the positive and negative personal, family and social factors that impacted on their lives.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

Family carers' accounts of general practice contacts for their relatives with early signs of dementia

The role of families in supporting people with dementia is widely acknowledged in literature and UK government policy. The role of general practice in ensuring early and effective support for people living with mental health problems including dementia is also enshrined in UK policy. As part of a larger study, a total of 122 carers were asked to rate predefined aspects of the primary care response. For some responses they were also asked to provide a reason for their rating.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

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