English

Purpose. In this paper we aim to develop the understanding of what constitutes a ‘good’ or ‘poor’ experience in relation to the transition from hospital to home following a stroke.

Method. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 20 people and 13 carers within one month of being discharged from hospital following a stroke. Interviews covered views of mobility recovery and support from therapy and services. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed in depth in order to explore the discharge process.

This second article on family care-givers will focus on how healthcare assistants (HCAs) can support such care-givers within a variety of care settings, including GP practices, healthcare centres, hospital departments, hospital wards and in the care-giver's own home. Suggestions for training of HCAs who are likely to work with family care-givers will be proposed.

Concerns raised over number of prosecutions made against care staff or carers for ill-treatment or wilful neglect of people subject to the Mental Health Act or Mental Capacity Act. [Journal abstract]

Concern has been mounting about the health and welfare of people who provide informal care for family or friends with chronic illness. In particular, young and elderly people - vulnerable groups in their own right - may be carrying a heavy burden. The extent of the problem is not well known because estimates have been pieced together from ad hoc local studies and household sample surveys. These estimated that young carers in the United Kingdom numbered between 10,000 and 50,000, and that about one in 20 older people in Great Britain spent long hours caring for sick family members.

Background. Expressed emotion (EE) measured from relatives and informal carers has been consistently demonstrated to be associated with clinical outcome in schizophrenic patients. There have also been published studies that have investigated EE in professional carers that have suggested that the quality of the relationship between staff and patient may also be associated with patient outcomes.

The overall aim of the work was to inform the NHS Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) R & D Programme about the theory and evidence on carers’ access to health care.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine relatives’ perception of an assistive technology intervention aimed at persons with dementia (PwDs) and their relatives, and to examine whether, and how, experiences of the intervention process differed between relatives valuing the intervention to be of high, and relatives perceiving it to be of low significance. Method: A total of 47 relatives of PwDs within the Swedish Technology and Dementia project were interviewed telephonically using a modified version of the Patient perspective on Care and Rehabilitation process instrum

Negative social attitudes, discrimination, and homophobia affect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals during their lifetimes. These experiences can affect how these individuals access health services and interact with health professionals, resulting in adverse outcomes compared with their heterosexual counterparts. End-of-life experiences can also be shaped by these factors.

Objective To assess whether a manual based coping strategy compared with treatment as usual reduces depression and anxiety symptoms in carers of family members with dementia. Design Randomised, parallel group, superiority trial. Setting Three mental health community services and one neurological outpatient dementia service in London and Essex, UK. Participants 260 carers of family members with dementia.