English

Purpose of review: To summarize the latest research on the risks and consequences of the burden that may be imposed on informal carers of persons living and dying with advanced heart failure.

Recent findings: A systematic search in PubMed over the period 2013?2014 ultimately revealed 24 original articles included in this review. From this research update it can be concluded that the body of knowledge increased with more studies focusing on caregivers of patients with advanced heart failure.

Objectives: This paper looks to examine the emerging role of carers as essential components in the management of individuals affected by severe mental illness in the context of modern legal and health policy environments. Conclusions: Cultural and legal concepts of confidentiality within the doctor–patient relationship are complex.

The bulk of care in the community is carried out by lay carers. Recent policy initiatives to support them in the United Kingdom are outlined. There remains evidence of significant gaps in support from professional health and social-care workers including community nurses. This paper reports three studies of lay carers: those caring for older people, carers of technology-dependent children, and home-care workers involved in the “direct payments” scheme.

There are 5.7 million carers across the UK, providing care and support to family members, relatives or friends who are ill, disabled or elderly and frail (Office of Populations, Censuses and Surveys, 1995). It is estimated that informal carers save the country £34 billion annually (Nuttall et al, 1993). If carers decided to stop providing informal care, health and social services would be overwhelmed by the increase in workload, many people would suffer and taxes would increase dramatically.

Purpose: This study examined the association among caregiver labor force participation, employees' caregiving activities, and the amount and quality of care received by care recipients. Design and Methods:Telephone interviews were conducted with 478 adults who were employed full time and 705 nonemployed adults who provided care to a family member or friend aged 50 or older, identified through random sampling of California households.

Aims and objectives.  This study explores the role of the carer in treatment decision-making in cancer care.

Caring for a loved one can take its toll physically and emotionally. Caroline Swinburne discovers how district nurses can ease the load. Supporting unpaid carers is an important but often unseen aspect of community nursing.

Besides patients’ health and well-being, healthcare interventions may affect the well-being of significant others. Such ‘spill over effects’ in significant others may be distinguished in two distinct effects: (i) the caregiving effect and (ii) the family effect. The first refers to the welfare effects of providing informal care, i.e., the effects of caring for someone who is ill. The second refers to a direct influence of the health of a patient on others’ well-being, i.e., the effects of caring about other people.