carers

A study looking at telecare from a carers' viewpoint is briefly reviewed in this article. The study drew on the experiences of carers through interviews and focus groups. It identified that some stakeholders, notably healthcare professionals, lacked awareness of the value and availability of telecare and that this often resulted in limited referrals and a limited range of telecare equipment accessed by carers.

There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the United Kingdom today, and there is currently no diseasemodifying intervention available for any form of the condition. Costs from dementia to the UK economy are currently estimated to be over L24 billion a year and approximately 700,000 people are informal carers for people who have dementia. While age is the biggest risk factor for developing dementia, the condition is not an inevitable part of ageing. Other factors such as medical history, lifestyle and genetics may also contribute to the risk of developing dementia.

Although heralded as a major breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease the experience and impact of using cholinesterase inhibitors (CHEIs) from the perspective of people with Alzheimer’s disease has not been widely reported. This qualitative study reports the lived experience of CHEI users and the perceived impact of the treatment. The views and experiences of 12 older people referred for memory problems or receiving treatment and 11 associated family carers were obtained using a combination of semi-structured interviews and focus groups.

Purpose: This study examined how the amount of informal care received by disabled elders changes when they are receiving publicly paid home care, and whether formal service use, disability, caregiving arrangements, and demographic characteristics of older adults predict changes in the amount of informal care. Design and Methods: Hierarchical linear models were estimated, using 3-year data (12 repeated observations) collected from elderly participants (N = 888) in Michigan's Home- and Community-Based Medicaid Waiver Program. 

This paper provides an overview of the GOLD programme at the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. It describes the work of the 13 funded projects in a context of wider research concerning ageing and learning disabilities. Particular attention is given to those people living with older family carers and those living in residential services for older people. The picture is of services that offer little confidence for the future, as people with learning disabilities grow older.

This article describes some of the more recently established ways the Alzheimer's Society is using to support people with dementia and their carers living in the area of Derby, UK. The article covers Alzheimer Cafes, pamper days, arts and crafts days, and a carers support group.

The project was set up to improve the support offered to carers of people with serious mental health problems through supportive and educational group workshops. It aimed to empower carers by improving their understanding of mental health services and care; and to develop a model of carer and mentoring support. From the 15 carers recruited, five left due to personal circumstances leaving a core group of 10. The group also contained a high proportion of black and minority ethnic carers.

The life of close relatives of persons with bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with emotional distress, depression, and a high level of use of mental health care. Illness-related changes of their life situation endanger relationships, social life, finances, and occupational functioning. Understanding of facilitating conditions for close relatives is still a neglected research area. The aim of the present study thus was to explore what makes the life of close relatives of persons with BD more liveable. A lifeworld phenomenological approach was used.

This paper report on a study undertaken in Glasgow of young South Asian people with learning disabilities and their carers, and explores the extent to which they are socially excluded. Although there is an increasing political emphasis on the inclusion of people with learning disabilities, the families concerned continue to experience isolation, both socially and in terms of service provision. Access to service is often problematic, because of linguistic and cultural barriers and families appear to be reluctant to use day centres.