General practitioners (GPs) and their role in supporting informal carers for elderly and disabled people from the informal carers' perspective

The article deals with problems of informal (family) carers for elderly and disabled people in the context of foreign researchers and best policy practices. It also pays a great attention to the role of GPs in providing a support to family carers in the long-term care system in the Czech Republic. We have come to our conclusions on the basis of desk-research and face-to face interviews with 30 family carers for frail elderly and disabled children. Caring for dependent family members in their homes is an extremely difficult task in terms of mental and physical health of carers. They find themselves very often in an unfavourable family situation because they have reduced or even have given up their employment as a result of care provision and could therefore face serious income problems. Especially if the informal carers themselves are older people, their financial situation could be difficult and they could face social exclusion. Family carers expect from GPs an adequate health care and provision of information on available health and social services, social benefits and specialised medical aids. They also wish to be partners to GPs in the care provision and appreciate GPs open communication and education in terms of care. Our research also showed that the present primary care system in the Czech Republic coupled with lack of GPs contributes to an unequal provision of health and social services. The key role of GPs as mediators between formal and informal care as well as between health care and social care is still not adequately fulfilled.