Social care provision

Having been diagnosed with dementia at the age of 70, Brian and his wife June now actively participate in planning dementia care services in Gloucestershire. The film illustrates the range of activities they are involved in - developing a 'Living Well Handbook', giving talks and helping shape training tools. It also highlights how commissioners, support organisations and carers all have a role to play in enabling the person with dementia to share their knowledge and experience for the benefit of others.

Reports on a project in Wolverhampton which reviewed short break (respite care) services for carers and the projects progress so far. The project focused on carers of people in the age range of 18-65, where provision of short breaks was seen to be most in need of development. The project used action research methods and included involvement of a number of carer support groups. Accounts from 50 carers on their short break experiences and aspirations were also collected.

Outlines a research project undertaken in the Dartford and Gravesham area of north west Kent to explore the service-related needs of Asian older people with dementia and their carers. The study was conducted from February 2002 to January 2004, based at a local dementia care charity, and funded by the Mental Health Foundation. Qualitative approaches were used to collect data about existing services and the views and perceptions of key stakeholders including: 7 GPs, 32 health professionals and service managers, 7 carers and 230 members of the local Asian community.

This film focuses on Tim Anfilogoff, the Commissioner for Adult Services at Hertfordshire County Council. Hertfordshire has achieved Beacon status for its work with carers, and this film demonstrates how the council is working with carers, and listening to their experiences and feedback to ensure both the carers and the service users receive the best possible service. It features carer Mari Stevenson who talks about her personal experiences of caring for her daughter who is diabetic and has Down’s Syndrome.

Having been diagnosed with dementia at the age of 70, Brian and his wife June now actively participate in planning dementia care services in Gloucestershire. The film illustrates the range of activities they are involved in - developing a ‘Living Well Handbook’, giving talks and helping shape training tools. It also highlights how commissioners, support organisations and carers all have a role to play in enabling the person with dementia to share their knowledge and experience for the benefit of others.

Looks at a government backed private member's bill which is seeking to extend the rights of carers.

This article critically examines literature relating to the care of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. It promotes an analysis of the network context of this care and advocates the use of the concept of ‘communities of practice’ to understand the processes of network participation and identity negotiation.

A fifth of adults with learning difficulties live with elderly parent. This article looks at how well the social care sector is serving this population of carers.

A recent study commissioned by the NHS Service Delivery and Organisation research and development programme (SDO) aimed to identify gaps in existing knowledge about the need for services to support mental health carers and what was meant by effectiveness and efficiency in these services. Consultation with key stakeholders was a major part of the study. This article focuses on the main findings of the consultation. Flexibility and responsive were identified as key characteristics of the ideal support service.

Health workers in Barnsley have found that training can help counter tokenism in user and carer involvement in the planning and delivering of services. Looks at the training course delivered to service users and carers which included: developing participants' skills in writing and evaluating standards; and de-mystifying jargon.