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Informal caregiver

Bereavement interventions to support informal caregivers in the intensive care unit: a systematic review

Background: Informal caregivers of critically ill patients in intensive care unit (ICUs) experience negative psychological sequelae that worsen after death. We synthesized outcomes reported from ICU bereavement interventions intended to improve informal caregivers’ ability to cope with grief.

Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO from inception to October 2020.

Study selection: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of bereavement interventions to support informal caregivers of adult patients who died in ICU.

Fri, 07/23/2021 - 15:23

Protocol for a systematic review on the experience of informal caregivers for people with a moderate to advanced dementia within a domestic home setting

Background: The knowledge about the experience of informal caregivers who provide care to people with moderate to advanced dementia in a domestic home setting is limited. A consequence of long hours of caregiving in addition to dealing with normal challenges of daily living is their experience of a poor quality of life. Some of their experiences may be described in terms of a feeling of powerlessness to make changes during care provision. This feeling may also suggest an experience of moral distress.

Tue, 04/06/2021 - 17:30

How Many Older Informal Caregivers Are There in Europe? Comparison of Estimates of Their Prevalence from Three European Surveys

Informal caregivers are people providing some type of unpaid, ongoing assistance to a person with a chronic illness or disability. Long-term care measures and policies cannot take place without taking into account the quantitatively crucial role played by informal caregivers. We use the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS), the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), and the Study on Health and Ageing in Europe (SHARE) to measure the prevalence of informal caregivers in the European population, and analyze associated socio-demographic factors.

Mon, 03/29/2021 - 16:44

Family Caregivers of Veterans Experience High Levels of Burden, Distress, and Financial Strain

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To describe the caregiving experiences and physical and emotional needs of family members and friends who provide care to veterans with mental, physical, and cognitive comorbidities. DESIGN: Cross‐sectional study. SETTING: National telephone surveys administered from 2017 to 2019. PARTICIPANTS: Family caregivers of veterans enrolled in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Program of General Caregiver Support Services between October 2016 and July 2018 who responded to a telephone survey (N = 1,509; response rate = 39%).

Mon, 03/22/2021 - 15:52

The Effects of COVID-19 Home Confinement in Dementia Care: Physical and Cognitive Decline, Severe Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Increased Caregiving Burden

Purpose: This study aims to analyze home confinement impact on individuals with neurocognitive disorders (NCD) through informal caregiver's perspective and examine how it has affected caregiving burden. Methods: Thirty-six caregivers (64.94 +/- 13.54 years, 41.7% female) of individuals with NCD (74.28 +/- 6.76 years, 66.7% female) selected from the Body & Brain exercise program were interviewed over the phone.

Mon, 03/22/2021 - 09:28

The Trajectory of Caregiver Burden and Risk Factors in Dementia Progression: A Systematic Review

Background: Caring for patients with dementia at home is often a long-term process, in which the independence of the patient declines, and more responsibility and supervision time is required from the informal caregiver. Objective: In order to minimize and reduce caregiver burden, it is important to explore its trajectory and the accompanying risk factors as dementia progresses; the objective of this systematic review. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were followed in this systematic review.

Fri, 01/15/2021 - 12:58

A Smart Health Platform for Measuring Health and Well-Being Improvement in People With Dementia and Their Informal Caregivers: Usability Study

Background: Dementia is a neurodegenerative chronic condition characterized by a progressive decline in a person's memory, thinking, learning skills, and the ability to perform activities of daily living. Previous research has indicated that there are many types of technology interventions available in the literature that have shown promising results in improving disease progression, disease management, and the well-being of people with dementia (PwD) and their informal caregiver, thus facilitating dementia care and living.

Wed, 01/13/2021 - 13:40

Perceptions of health and well-being among older adult caregivers: Comparisons of current caregivers with former and never caregivers

• Current caregivers had less health satisfaction than never caregivers. • Former caregivers experienced better well-being than current caregivers. • There were no differences in depression scores amongst caregiver types. • Income is an important contributor to health outcomes across caregiver types. Older adults with physical and/or cognitive limitations frequently rely on informal caregivers who are often other older adults.

Sat, 12/12/2020 - 14:49

Factors associated with caregiving appraisal of informal caregivers: A systematic review

Aims and objectives: To identify factors associated with the caregiving appraisal of informal caregivers. Background: Caregiving appraisal, the cognitive evaluation of the caregiving situation, is an essential factor in determining positive or negative caregiving outcomes. Identifying factors associated with appraisal is fundamental for designing effective health promotion strategies. Design: A systematic review.

Mon, 11/30/2020 - 13:49

Cost-Effectiveness and Effects of a Home-Based Exercise Intervention for Female Caregivers of Relatives with Dementia: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Previous research has proposed a range of support interventions to mitigate the adverse impact of caregiving on the daily life of caregivers of relatives with dementia. However, the effectiveness of these interventions shows a high variability. Informal caregivers usually lack the time and/or live too far from conventional facilities to do physical exercise, especially those who live in rural areas. Thus, home-based interventions may be more efficacious due to their greater convenience for this population.

Fri, 07/31/2020 - 15:50