Adults

Despite its familiarity, the realities of care are both complex and contested. This book offers a unique approach to scrutinising the co-existence of both care and abuse in relationships. It demonstrates ways of increasing critical reflexivity when working with people involved in difficult care relationships. The book emphasises that when talking about care, we need to care about talk. Discourse analysis is introduced as a method of investigating relationships, policy and literature in informal care.

In the present study, we examined 82 parents of adult children with physical disabilities. The parents described the benefits of caregiving, and reported positive feelings about their involvement in caregiving as well as a sense of personal growth as a result of caregiving. When parents perceived caregiving as causing less emotional strain (subjective burden), and when they felt higher levels of closeness with their offspring, and expressed higher levels of hope, they were more likely to indicate that caregiving yielded benefits.

A qualitative interview study was undertaken to determine the information and support needs of carers of adults who have Down's syndrome and dementia. The data were analysed thematically. Carers' information and support needs were seen to change at pre-diagnosis, diagnosis and post-diagnosis. Helping carers to manage the changing nature of the adult with dementia is seen to be an essential part of the health professional's role.

Background Earlier research shows that nonemployed mothers of children with intellectual disability (ID) have lower wellbeing than employed mothers. This study explored why and to what extent these mothers did not participate in the labour market.

Method An in-depth interview was employed, and 18 working-age and nonemployed mothers in Taiwan who had an adult child with ID were interviewed in their homes between July 2009 and May 2010.

A panel of practitioners give their opinions on the case of a young disabled women who is being looked after at home by her elderly parents. The case highlights the importance of providing support to carers.

Adult learning approaches require professionals to identify their learning needs. Learning about dementia syndromes is a complex task because of the insidious onset and variable course of the disease processes, the inexorability of cognitive and functional loss, and the emotional impact of neurodegenerative disorders on those experiencing them and on their family and professional carers.

Background This study examines the effects and associated factors of respite care, which was legislated as a community service for adults with an intellectual disability (ID) in Taiwan in 1997.

Method A total of 116 family carers who live with an adult with ID and have utilised the respite care program were surveyed using standardised measures.

This paper updates an earlier extensive review of research into the incidence and management of risk in adult social care in England, and addresses gaps identified in the earlier review. This paper aimed to identify only empirical research published since 2007 and concentrated on research conducted and published within the UK.