Social networks

The paper reports on the development and piloting of the Social Inclusion Interview Schedule (SIIS). This uses pictures to explore social networks and feelings of social inclusion. The background, conceptual framework and development of the interview schedule are discussed and interim findings are highlighted. The challenge of not just identifying the constituents of a social network but also attributing some measure of intensity to the relationships and activities identified will be considered.

AIM: This paper explores the use of ecomaps as a research tool for capturing data, using the example of the dynamic nature of social networks from which informal carers of people living with motor neurone disease draw their support. BACKGROUND: The need for social support in relation to health maintenance and disease management has been identified in the literature but little has been published about ways to investigate support networks.

Social networks are seen to influence the use of health and social care services. In a secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal study of befriending of carers of people with dementia, the authors studied the relationship between network type and support from family/friends, voluntary sector befriending and residential/nursing care. Using Wenger's typology of social networks, finding suggest that the pattern of support use varies by differences in the structure of networks.

Penny Redwood, Diana Robinson and Jane Price describe the development of a dementia cafe in Leeds – a meeting place where people with dementia and their carers can spend an enjoyable time, share problems and obtain information and support

The purpose of this article is to propose a method to facilitate analysis of the processes involved in the transformation of support networks for caregivers of persons with dementia. The authors are particularly interested in the preliminary phases of the caregiver's career: the initial period ranging from the first manifestations of dementia to the confirmation of a diagnosis. This method combines the social network approach with narratice analysis.

This study determines the relative effects of functional impairment, cognitive impairment, and duration of care of the elderly on caregivers' depression, and identifies the factors that influence this relationship. The variables were entered individually, based on a logical order in the path modeling. For mediators, the order of three types of social support was assumed to be financial support, instrumental support, and emotional support.

The author, a community mental health nurse, describes the setting up of a dementia cafe in a rural area. Some of the aims and objectives of the cafe were to provide social opportunities for those living with dementia and their carers; provide activities to stimulate memories of those living with dementia; provide an opportunity for carers to share problems. Challenges and future changes are also discussed.

Richard Ward, Andrew Clark and Matthew Hargreaves outline the findings of a study that looked at how carers of people with dementia relate to their neighbourhood, and the implications that has for improving local support

An evaluation exploring the lives of older people living with multiple long term conditions, assessing how well the health and care system is meeting their needs. The evaluation heard the views of 36 patients, family members and carers in order to gain an insight into their experiences of living with and managing their long term conditions and the care they receive.

Objective: Information on the shortened, 20-item version of the Perceived Social Support Scale (S-PSSS) is scarce. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the S-PSSS Family (SSfa) and Friends (SSfr) subscales. Method: Because of their common coping method of social support, a cross-sectional sample of Alzheimer’s caregivers was relevant for this evaluation.