Family carers

This study examined the multidimensional nature of experiences of being an intimate partner of an Australian veteran or emergency service first responder (ESFR) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, inductive thematic analysis was undertaken on data collected in 2017–2018 through individual interviews with a purposive sample of 22 partners of veterans, paramedics, fire and police officers living in Australia.

Purpose Many individual and family hardships are associated with poorly understood palliative care needs arising from advanced dementia within India. The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of people in India affected by advanced dementia and to shape educational approaches for practitioners and the local community. Design/methodology/approach Three focus groups with family carers of people (n = 27) with advanced dementia were undertaken with local communities in South India.

Summary: The extra strains experienced by families who care for a relative with intellectual disabilities are well documented. The provision of overnight (respite) breaks or supports in the home are common ways of supporting family carers. Often demand exceeds supply. Using data from a national register in Ireland, child and adults who received overnight breaks and in-home support were identified along with the characteristics that distinguished them from families that did not have these services.

Placement behaviours of families of adults with intellectual disabilities has received little or no attention of researches to date. A prospective design was adopted to examine changes in placement decisions of 75 family carers over a 12-month period. Factors associated with changes were also examined. Over 12 months, 30 families moved closer to considering an out of home placement. Of these 14 had placed their relative in out of home care. Proactive coping strategies were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of continued home care.

Background: The Alzheimer Café is a psychosocial intervention shown to have benefits for family carers of people with dementia. Family carers experience a period of change across all aspects of their lives following the dementia diagnosis, and require new skills and tools to navigate these new landscapes. The objective of this research was to investigate family carers' perspectives of the Alzheimer Café in Ireland, and explore how attendance may translate into broader benefits in their lives.

Family carers of people with Lewy body dementia (LBD) have a particularly high burden of care, as LBD has a faster rate of decline, greater physical dependence and additional neuropsychiatric disturbances compared with other dementias. Despite this, there are no evidence-based support services designed specifically for LBD carers.

Long-stay home care clients mostly reside in private homes or retirement homes, and the type of residence may influence risk factors for long-term care placement. This multi-state analytic study uses RAI-Home Care and administrative data from the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network to model conceptualized states of risk at baseline through a 13-month follow-up period. Modifiable risk factors in these states were client loneliness or depressive symptoms, and caregiver distress.

Background People with intellectual disabilities are living longer, with family homes and family caregivers increasingly identified as a key support to this ageing population of people with intellectual disabilities. Method This systematic review sets out existing evidence from empirically evaluated intervention studies of future care planning for adults with intellectual disability by family carers.

This is an open letter to acknowledge the essential and increasingly challenging role unpaid family carers are playing in the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter is written by members of the CAREWELL team, a HRB-funded project that aims to promote health and self-care behaviours among working family carers. Family carers provide care to family and friends in the community who need support due to old-age, disability and chronic illness.

Digital technologies have the potential to assist people with dementia to monitor day to day activities and mitigate the risks of living independently. This purposive pilot study surveyed participants for frailty, wellbeing, and perceived carer burden using the 3Rings(TM) digital plug. 30 paired participants used the digital device for four months. People with dementia reported a decline in wellbeing and increased frailty. Family carers reported a decline in wellbeing but 18 reported a reduction in burden.