great britain

Young adult carers experience significant disadvantage as a result of their caring responsibilities--not least in education. While there is some creative and flexible provision out there, the author stresses that too often providers fail to take account of the specific needs and responsibilities of young carers. The author presents the comments made by young adult carers who participated in focus groups and interviews as part of recent NIACE research, "Access to Education and Training for Young Adult Carers," funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Discusses the "Young Carers in the UK: The 2004 Report" which focuses on the third national survey of young carers in Great Britain. Data collection for the survey; Information on people with care needs; Range of caring tasks young people perform; Percentage of young carers providing different tasks; Impact of caring tasks on educational experiences of carers; Percentage of young carers assessed under the Children Act.

Recent thinking about policy on cancer services in the UK has highlighted the importance of recognising the needs of carers, but is unclear about the ways in which this might be done. Our recent study on the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and their main informal carers was unusual in its combined focus on patients and carers experiencing the ‘cancer journey’ together. One of our aims was to contribute to an understanding of what it means to be the main carer of someone with cancer.

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.

The author comments on the lack of government funds to pay informal carers and finance adult care properly in Great Britain. He mentions that the response of the government to the imminent crisis in adult social care funding has been to establish committees to examine the care eligibility criteria as opposed to the £55 billion of funds allocated to ensure the survival of Northern Rock. He notes the low salary received by informal carers despite the fact that they save the nation about £60 billion annually.

Background: The well-being of informal carers of people with dementia is an important public health issue. Caring for an elderly relative with dementia may be burdensome and stressful, and can negatively affect the carer’s social, family, and professional life. The combination of loss, the physical demands of caregiving, prolonged distress, and biological vulnerabilities of older carers may compromise their physical health, increase social isolation, and increase the risk of anxiety and depressive disorders.

Little research has been carried out into determinants of both carer satisfaction in the caregiving role and how these compare with determinants of emotional distress among carers. Principal informal caregivers to 91 patients with dementing or non-dementing disorders were identified from consecutive referrals to community psychiatric nurses in an old age psychiatry service. Clinical, demographic, service and carer satisfaction variables were recorded. Emotional distress in carers was measured with the 28 item General Health Questionnaire.

Reports on the increase in the number of young people who care for other individuals with disability, illness, or health problem in Great Britain, according to a study commissioned by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers. Number of people who carried out a caring role based on a 2001 census; Concerns on the caregivers.

Long-term care in the UK relies heavily on informal and unpaid carers. Statistical data regarding the number of carers in the 2001 Census compared with the 2011 Census identify an increase of around 600 000 carers. It is also significant that many of these carers are themselves in their late middle age. The reasons for taking on the caring role are varied, but there are significant potential physical, mental and financial issues associated with taking on the caring role. Positive benefits in terms of support provision for the carer do exist, but support services across the UK are variable.