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Nursing

Informal carers’ experience of caring for stroke survivors

Background.  Stroke is the third most common cause of death in industrialized countries and a major cause of adult disability. However, the burden of caring for stroke survivors usually rests with family members who have neither chosen nor volunteered for the role of ‘carer’.

Aims.  This paper reports on a study which aimed to describe the experience of caring for a stroke survivor at one year after stroke in Scotland.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:17

Discussing prognosis and end-of-life care in the final year of life: a randomised controlled trial of a nurse-led communication support programme for patients and caregivers

Introduction Timely communication about life expectancy and end-of-life care is crucial for ensuring good patient quality-of-life at the end of life and a good quality of death. This article describes the protocol for a multisite randomised controlled trial of a nurse-led communication support programme to facilitate patients’ and caregivers’ efforts to communicate about these issues with their healthcare team.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

Outreach nurse support after stroke: a descriptive study on patients' and carers' needs, and applied nursing interventions

Objective: To describe the number and types of problems mentioned by successfully contacted home-dwelling stroke patients and their carers, and nursing interventions applied.

Design: In this multicentre quantitative study in the Netherlands, stroke patients and carers received outreach nurse support consisting of three telephone contacts and one home visit within six months after discharge. Standardized checklists describing a wide range of potential problems were used to record problems and interventions.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

Working in partnership with adult informal carers: policy and practice

In England and Wales alone, more than 5 million informal carers provide support to individuals who wish to remain within their own homes. However, research has identified that there is a limited understanding of the informal carer role among health professionals, and deficits in information sharing and the involvement of informal carers in decision making in relation to care packages. This article considers recent policy relating to this area, placing particular emphasis on the role of the district nurse in working in partnership with informal carers.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:14

The role of a dementia trailblazer

Colin Dugdale, BSc, RMN, RGN, dementia trailblazer, NHS Executive North West. As a community mental health nurse team leader I was seconded to the NHS Executive North West for the role of dementia trailblazer to develop the Admiral Nurse Service in the north-west of England.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:14

Working with carers in educational settings: developing innovations in practice

Purpose – It is generally agreed that carers in mental health care play a vital role in helping people to maintain their place in the community and reducing the time clients spend in hospital or residential settings. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual approach to involving carers in higher education by acknowledging their contribution to improving practice and identify the impact upon student learning in mental health and social care professions. 

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:13

The role of the dementia specialist nurse in acute care: a scoping review

Aims and objectives: To identify the potential benefits of dementia specialist nursing and to inform the implementation of roles to support people with dementia during hospital admission.

Background: Extended stays and adverse events mean that hospital admissions are costly for people with dementia, and patient experiences and outcomes can be poor. Specialist nurses have been identified as having potential to enhance care quality, reduce excess stays and reduce costs, but the evidence base for dementia specialist nurse roles has not previously been synthesised.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:13

The legitimacy of rest: conditions for the relief of burden in advanced dementia care-giving

This paper is a report of a study conducted to identify the conditions that favour the relief of the burden of female caregivers of relatives with advanced dementia. Respite services are a response to caregivers' needs for rest. Although they are wanted and needed services, caregivers do not always have access to or use them. The need for a caregiver-centred approach to relieving the burden of care is a conclusion which respite researchers are increasingly reaching. The method was, grounded theory was chosen as the research strategy.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:12

Meeting the needs of patients' families in intensive care units

A review of articles published between 2000 and 2013, retrieved from several databases, was conducted to identify research findings regarding nursing interventions intended to meet the needs of the family members of patients in the intensive care unit. The dimensions of need identified were support, comfort, reassurance, information and closeness, with reassurance, information and closeness being the most important. Overall, the needs of patients’ family members were unmet.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:12

Informal Caregivers and the Risk of Nursing Home Admission Among Individuals Enrolled in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly

PURPOSE: We sought to determine whether participants in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) with an informal caregiver have a higher or lower risk of nursing home admission than those without caregivers.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:12

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