Outcome assessment

Background: Care partners (ie, informal family caregivers) of individuals with health problems face considerable physical and emotional stress, often with a substantial negative impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of both care partners and care recipients. Given that these individuals are often overwhelmed by their caregiving responsibilities, low-burden self-management interventions are needed to support care partners to ensure better patient outcomes.

Successful caregiver interventions accomplish two goals. One, they address the pragmatics of care provision by educating caregivers about the illness of the care recipient, associated symptoms and their progression, and available support services. Didactic training is often paired with skills training to address the needs of the care recipient, including how to assist with functional disabilities, mange problematic behaviors, and access professional support services.

Introduction It is important to understand the experiences of elderly people with dementia and their family caregivers. Moreover, the maintenance of family caregivers’ satisfaction with co-occupation is important to ensure that they intend to continue providing care. This study developed and validated the Measure of Supporting Co-occupation, which assesses co-occupation involving elderly people with dementia and their family caregivers. Method This study used a cross-sectional design and questionnaire survey.

Informal carers of an adult with mental illness have asked that respite care be an integral component of mental health service provision. The present study involved a pilot investigation of the effectiveness of accessing respite care for carers of individuals with a mental illness. It was hypothesised that compared to carers who have not accessed respite care, carers who access respite care would report lower burden and distress, higher life satisfaction and better health after their use of respite care.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of breaks in care in improving the well-being of informal carers of frail and disabled older people living in the community and to identify carer needs and barriers to uptake of respite services.

Data sources: Major electronic databases were searched from the earliest possible date to April 2008.

Background: Most studies of exercise training for heart failure have been conducted on relatively young patients with little comorbidity. Such programmes are unsuitable for the majority of older frail heart failure patients.

Aims: To test the acceptability and tolerability of an outpatient exercise programme in older heart failure patients with comorbid disease.