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Mental healthcare for older people is primarily delivered in the community with informal carers, usually family providing much of this. Older people often require input from a range of services across sectors. In Australia, the different funding and governance structures of these services makes for a complex landscape for older people, their families and mental health workers to navigate. As many people now care into later life, the consequences of not getting the required support include the potential for increased carer burden and reduced capacity to fulfil caring tasks.

In its latest report on palliative care, the health committee of the House of Commons recorded the Department of Health's admission that the lack of palliative care for patients without cancer was the greatest inequity of all.1 In the United Kingdom, people die in hospices almost solely from cancer, although it accounts for only 25% of all deaths.1 w1 Yet patients dying from dementia have been shown to have healthcare needs comparable to those of cancer patients.2 The palliative care approach provides appropriate control of symptoms, emphasises overall quality of life, takes a holistic appr

In 2009, HR commissioned two pieces of research on employees with caring responsibilities. The first focused on the external picture - the legislation, good practice, and exemplar employers. The second garnered the views of interested parties in DH; namely, carers, line managers and staff networks. The outcomes from the external review are available on the Carers page on Delphi, together with a specific policy for carers, based on the themes drawn from both pieces of research.

Cases of carers harming or killing those they care for are few. But such rare occurrences should not blind us to the frustrations and isolation that drive many carers to believe they can no longer cope, writes the author. [Journal abstract]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the views and experiences of the informal caregivers of repeat fallers with Parkinson's disease. Method: Individuals were invited to participate in this study if they were the informal caregiver of a person with Parkinson's disease (PD) who had experienced more than one fall in the previous 12 months. Participants were interviewed about their experience of managing falls using a semi-structured interview schedule.

Research undertaken by the author of this article found that there is a lack of education for community nurses on the role of informal carers. She advocates such education is introduced so that health professionals are better able to support informal carers and suggests that the 'Carers Compass' developed by the Carers Impact Project at the King's Fund could serve as a conceptual guide for teaching purposes. 

Unsung heroes, hearts of gold and other cliches get in the way of the real message about carers. Carers look after family, friends or partners in help because they are ill, frail or have a disability. The care they provide is unpaid seven days a week, 365 days of the year.

Hospice nurses are finding new ways to care for bereaved people, reports Jennifer Trueland

Bereavement care is a vital but under-funded part of palliative care services, and there is growing evidence that people who have lost a loved one are at increased risk of serious illness. The Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted is providing innovative care for families of patients before and after death. ‘Life-changing’ initiatives include cookery classes and pony rides.

Over the last two years we have been working together to take forward the National Carers' Strategy, published in 2008, in the context of more personalised support and sustained independence for carers and service users. This paper is the third in a sequence of short reviews designed to stimulate debate and improve the support for carers. At a time when we face many challenges around resources it is doubly important that we keep our sights firmly on the improved outcomes that can be secured through early intervention and preventative support. The review contains five key messages.

BACKGROUND: In European countries, knowledge about availability and utilization of support for informal caregivers caring for older persons (≥65 years) with dementia (PwD) is lacking. To be able to evaluate and develop the dementia support system for informal caregivers to PwD, a survey of European support systems and professionals involved is needed. The aim of this study was to explore support for informal caregivers to PwD in European countries.