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Caregivers/*psychology

A study identifying the difficulties healthcare students have in their role as a healthcare student when they are also an informal carer

There is a growing body of literature concerning the needs of informal carers, however, there is little relating to the needs of carers who are also university students. There are a number of publications concerning the difficulties university studies may cause and in particular the stress that some healthcare students endures when they undertake clinical placements. Being an informal carer has the potential to aggravate any difficulties students may have in the normal course of their studies.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:12

Caring for older adults with diabetes mellitus: characteristics of carers and their prime roles and responsibilities

Aims: Expanding prevalence of diabetes has a major health impact on older people and the burden experienced by their informal carers. We report research which aimed to examine the burden on carers and highlight their input into diabetes care.; Methods: Of 98 diabetes patients aged over 59 years, 89 regularly received help with day-to-day activities or looking after from someone else and, of these, 83 carers consented to interview.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:12

The relationship between patient characteristics and carer psychological status in home palliative cancer care

Goals: Despite being both providers and intended recipients of care, informal carers in cancer palliative care report high levels of distress and unmet needs. In order to develop supportive care strategies, this analysis aimed to identify which patient characteristics contribute to carer psychological distress and which coping strategies carers employ.; Patients and Methods: Informal carers attending two home palliative care services gave cross-sectional data regarding patient characteristics and their own psychological status using standardised measures.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:12

Carers' perceptions of pain in people with dementia: a grounded theory approach

The purpose of this Grounded Theory based study was to add to the limited understanding about the perception and observation of pain by the formal and informal carers of people with dementia. Thirty-one carers talked about how they know when their person with dementia has pain. Findings showed there is no one set of signs or behaviours that indicate pain in all people with dementia. However, a common pain assessment process amongst carers involved being able to detect deviation from normal behaviours based upon their intimate knowledge of what is normal for their person.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:11

Impact of home based long term care on informal carers

Background: Well coordinated and integrated home based care is an efficient and cost effective model for providing long term care. There is, however, emerging evidence to suggest that family members pay a price for taking on long term care responsibilities at home.; Objective: This article draws on published literature to provide an overview of the health, economic, and social issues faced by informal carers.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:10

Respite: carers' experiences and perceptions of respite at home

Background: Informal carers play an important role in supporting people with long-term conditions living at home. However, the caring role is known to have adverse effects on carers such as poorer emotional health and social isolation. A variety of types of respite may be offered to carers but little is known about the benefits of respite, carers’ experiences with it, or their perceptions of care workers. This study therefore investigated these experiences and perceptions.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:10

Job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers: a comparison of home care workers who are and who are not informal carers

Background: Job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers who serve simultaneously as informal carers for their own family members have seldom been explored. This study examined how this dual role influences job satisfaction and quality of life by comparing these dual carers with home care workers who do not provide informal care. The study also explored whether the factors related to job satisfaction and quality of life between these two groups were different.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:10

Dementia and ethics: the views of informal carers

There has been little work on the ethical issues facing non-professionals who care for relatives or others with dementia. A qualitative pilot study was conducted in ten such individuals, eight of them women, caring for persons drawn mainly from one general practice. The interviews indicated that many of the dilemmas faced by carers are ethical and that the issues differ from those faced by professionals. Ethical issues are sometimes the most troublesome matter for carers. Unlike issues for professionals, they arise from a personal context and are shaped by long-term relationships.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:09

Who cares for the carers? The district nurse perspective

Background. Community care of elderly and disabled people is increasing. Primary care teams are expected to provide support to the informal carers essential for its success.

Objective. To explore district nurse (DN) views about roles of the primary care team and what is needed for support of informal carers.

Method. A qualitative analysis of open-ended questions contained in a larger postal questionnaire.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:09