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Medical care costs

The Monetary Value of Informal Care: Obtaining Pure Time Valuations Using a Discrete Choice Experiment

Background: Interventions in health care often not only have an effect on patients, but also on their informal caregivers. Caregiving can have a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of carers. Ignoring these spillovers in economic evaluations risks labelling interventions mistakenly as cost-effective, at the expense of informal caregivers.

Tue, 06/18/2019 - 16:18

Changing Structures and Processes to Support Family Caregivers of Seriously Ill Patients

Background: Although family caregivers provide a significant portion of health and support services to adults with serious illness, they are often marginalized by existing healthcare systems and procedures. Objective: We examine the role of caregivers in existing systems of care, identify needed changes in structures and processes, and describe how these changes might be monitored and assessed and who should be accountable for implementing them.

Tue, 11/20/2018 - 11:28

Caregivers needing care: the unmet needs of the family caregivers of end-of-life cancer patients

Purpose: Family caregivers play a significant role in the care of cancer patients, especially in their end of life. Identifying and meeting the needs of these caregivers is essential to improving their quality of patient care. This study was conducted to identify the unmet needs of the caregivers of end-of-life cancer patients. Methods: A total of 18 semi-structured interviews were held with the family caregivers of end-of-life cancer patients using purposive sampling.

Fri, 10/19/2018 - 15:11

Supporting the Supporters: What Family Caregivers Need to Care for a Loved One With Cancer

Patients with cancer who live at home often require help with activities of daily living, basic medical care (eg, injections), social needs, and patient advocacy. Most of that support comes from intimate caregivers, typically members of the patient's family. These family caregivers themselves require support so that they can be effective and maintain their own well-being while caring for the patient with cancer. Research shows that support for caregivers contributes to achieving these goals.

Thu, 08/30/2018 - 11:58

A journey without maps—Understanding the costs of caring for dependent older people in Nigeria, China, Mexico and Peru

Purpose of the study: Populations in Latin America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are rapidly ageing. The extent to which traditional systems of family support and security can manage the care of increased numbers of older people with chronic health problems is unclear. Our aim was to explore the social and economic effects of caring for an older dependent person, including insight into pathways to economic vulnerability.

Mon, 08/20/2018 - 16:20

Don't let carers slip off the radar

The article discusses the importance of supporting carers in Great Britain. It states that supporting carers is cost-effective because it prevents crisis intervention, unfitting hospital admission, and delayed transfer of care .It also mentions that if they are not supported, their physical and mental health will be at risk and young carers will have difficulty at school.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:11

Telecare. remote monitoring and care

ABSTRACT Telecare is often regarded as a win/win solution to the growing problem of meeting the care needs of an ageing population. In this paper we call attention to some of the ways in which telecare is not a win/win solution but rather aggravates many of the long-standing ethical tensions that surround the care of the elderly. It may reduce the call on carers' time and energy by automating some aspects of care, particularly daily monitoring. This can release carers for other caring activities. On the other hand, remote and impersonal monitoring seems to fall short of providing care.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:09

Funding chief rules out free care

The article reports that Andrew Dilnot, chairman of the Commission on Funding of Care and Support, has ruled out having free personal care in England. He states that free personal care will not be recommended by the commission as it will not be resilient enough if implemented. He mentions that the commission will put forward the suggestion of having partnership approach which would combine resources from state, informal carers and individuals.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:08