Turner, Nicola

Background: In the current ecology of care, social, rather than medical, support is critical in enabling frail older people to live at home. Objectives: This paper reports findings from a qualitative study about how home care workers (HCWs) support persons with dementia living in the community. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were carried out in England with 14 family care-givers (FCGs) recruited from a single private home care provider. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken using the constant comparative method.

Context. Increased life expectancy, technical advances in treatment and symptom control, and the extension of palliative care in community settings not only lengthen life but also make it possible for many patients to be cared for, and to die, at home. Moreover, death increasingly occurs in late old age and after a prolonged period of comorbidity and/or frailty.