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Patient quality of life is an increasingly important outcome measure in medicine and healthcare. It is now widely used in clinical trials and in patient management for assessing morbidity and the impact of treatment. In the past, quality of life studies focused almost exclusively on changes in the quality of life of patients, but increasing attention is now being paid to the impact of chronic disease on carers.

This report presents findings from the carers module of the General Household Survey GHS 2000/01. The GHS is a continuous survey based on a sample of the general public resident in private households in Great Britain.

By looking at carers’ experiences, this report takes this case forward by exploring in more detail the evidence and opportunities afforded by telecare and telehealth technologies and the barriers to greater take-up.

This study explored the needs, aspirations and expectations of older people and family carers from a range of ethnic communities in Bradford, regarding both formal paid care provision and help from family, friends and neighbours. The focus was on the accessibility, acceptability, appropriateness and responsiveness of services. The study found cross-cultural similarities as well as cultural specificities in experiences and expectations. 

Contains a general introduction to the topic and drawing on a range of current initiatives, pointers towards good practice in relation to each of the components of effective involvement. A range of evaluation tools are offered which may be useful in charting progress and identifying the next steps to be taken.

As the number of older persons in need of long-term care increases, efforts to support older persons remaining in their home are intensified in most OECD countries. In this context of ageing in place, there is a movement towards allowing more individual choice for older persons receiving publicly funded long-term care at home. Having more flexibility in terms of how to receive care can increase the older person’s self-determination and that of his/her informal care givers.

Aims and objectives.  The aim was to study the association between gender, extent and content of care, satisfaction, coping and difficulties in the caregiving situation among older (75+) caregivers and to identify clusters of caregivers. The aim was also to explore psychometrically two instruments assessing satisfaction and difficulties in family caregivers.

This study aims to investigate whether selected social and psychological characteristics of family caregivers of persons with dementia are related to community-based service use in Belgium. Two aspects were distinguished in service utilisation: volume (number of contacts) and diversity (number of services). Within a selected region, dementia caregivers were traced via the detection of persons with dementia known to community health or social services. A probability diagnosis was made with the Geriatric Mental State and the computer algorithm AGECAT.

This chapter explores working partnerships with carers of older people and particularly carers in full or part-time employment who may have many stresses and conflicting demands in their lives. The legal and social context of caring is traced from The NHS and Community Care Act (DH, 1990) and subsequent care in the community initiatives. Another milestone was The National Strategy for Carers (DH, 1999a), though there has only recently been a government commitment to partnership with carers against very patchy previous provision.