Working carers

Objectives: This longitudinal study explores whether the working situation (no change in working hours despite care, reduction of working hours due to care or not working) moderates mental and physical health of informal caregivers of older people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Italy. Methods: Data from a sample of 146 caregivers of older people with moderate AD involved in the UP-TECH trial across three waves were analysed.

Recruiting, retaining and returning carers to the workplace have already been identified as major economic and social issues in the UK. They are likely to become even more important as a consequence of demographic and economic pressures on families and employers (HM Government et al, 2013). This article sets out the current and future context regarding working carers, as well as the business response in terms of policy and practice, highlighting what has been achieved and what has yet to be addressed.

Most developed countries have introduced significant changes in housing and long term care policies for older people. Simultaneously, there is increasing policy and economic emphasis on extending working lives and on changes to pension schemes. These changes have combined to have negative consequences for working-age family carers. In this contribution the authors discuss the situations in the UK and Sweden - two countries with different policy traditions but facing similar challenges.

How best to support working carers is being paid increased attention across Europe and internationally. This article examines a largely unexplored area within the empirical literature, namely, information and communication technology-mediated support for working carers of older people. Using an integrative review methodology to draw on both quantitative and qualitative data, 14 studies were identified. Themes included making work–life balance easier, reducing the burden of caregiving and promoting well-being.

In the context of global population ageing, the reconciliation of employment and unpaid caring is becoming an important social issue. The estimation of the public expenditure costs of carers leaving employment is a valuable measure that is of considerable interest to policy makers. In 2012, the Personal Social Services Research Unit estimated that the public expenditure costs of unpaid carers leaving employment in England were approximately £1.3 billion a year, based on the costs of Carer's Allowance and lost tax revenues on forgone incomes.

Policy makers in Sweden and other European Member States pay increasing attention as to how best support working carers carers juggling providing unpaid family care for older family members while performing paid work. Exploring perceived benefits and challenges with web-based information and communication technologies as a means of supporting working carers' in their caregiving role, this paper draws on findings from a qualitative study.

Informal carers represent a substantial proportion of the population in many countries and health is an important factor in their capacity to continue care-giving. This study investigated the impact of care-giving on the mental and physical health of informal carers, taking account of contextual factors, including family and work. We examined health changes from before care-giving commenced to 2 and 4 years after, using longitudinal data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey. The sample comprised 424 carers and 424 propensity score-matched non-carers.