Editorial

Kennedy talks about the importance of family caregivers. Among other things, making sure that family caregivers are prepared prior to discharge in understanding the family members diagnosis and what it means for ongoing care, how to provide care, and what changes signal the need for professional intervention.

The article focuses on the role of biological or legal family members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) older adults, in providing better care, comfort and safety, and talks of nurses to develop trust to recognize and communicate, and provides chart on questions to be asked.

An editorial is presented on the increase importance of family caregivers to improve healthcare outcomes. It highlights the health benefits of caregiving to reduce physical, emotional and financial strains particularly for individuals with chronic illness. It also cites the influence of several factors to the increase caregiver engagement of the nurses including health policy, practice and nursing education.

Family caregivers need more information and training on caregiving as well as supportive tools to facilitate stress management and enhance their coping skills. In addition, family caregivers need social support and practical assistance. Telehealth tools, broadly defined as technology-based tools that bridge geographic distance, can be a promising method to deliver interventions designed for family caregivers and enhance access to resources and support. Telehealth technologies are especially important for caregivers living in rural areas or providing remote caregiving.

Aim To longitudinally describe stroke caregivers’ quality of life, anxiety, depression and burden and to identify predictors of stroke caregivers’ quality of life, anxiety, depression and burden. Background Caregivers have a key role in stroke survivor care and the first year of caregiving is the most challenging. To give tailored interventions, it is important to capture changes and identify predictors of caregiver quality of life, anxiety, depression and burden during the first year. Design A 12‐month longitudinal study.

In recognition of the contributions that women made to Chinese society, Mao Zedong said that “women hold up half the sky.” In my family of origin, I am 1 of 5 children. Our ages range from mid-70s to early 60s. On Mother’s Day 2017 our mother “went home” following 2 years of steady decline. Mom lived on her own for 34 years, and she did quite well managing her affairs, keeping house, and visiting her children who were scattered around the country. But failing eyesight, hearing loss, and an inability to maintain personal hygiene and adequate nutrition and hydration began to take hold.

Many of us may be able to remember the general air of excitement that surrounded the writing and publishing of “No Secrets” (Department of Health, 2000) and “In Safe Hands”(Welsh Assembly Government, 2000), although we might wish we were young enough not to! At the time, the documents generated mixed feelings amongst service users/customers and carers as well as professionals/practitioners.

The author comments on the limited access to Australian mental health care particularly in rural and remote settings. He cites an article by Alexander and Fraser which reports that poor access to specialists and mental health services in some rural settings prevents patients from being treated by their general practitioners. Due to this, the large burden of care falls to families and informal carers. Recommendations on how to improve access to mental health services are also discussed.

The author argues that funding for young carers' support should be ring-fenced to avoid that possibility that British councils may use the budget to fend off the next budgetary crisis. He describes young carers as children who take on responsibility for their families, acting as main carers for their disabled or chronically ill parents and siblings. The government has funded initiatives to support young carers. However, he notes that government aims to transfer this funding to local authorities.

The authors reflect on the importance of learning and development for transforming dementia and end-of-life care. Topics discussed include dependency of quality of dementia care on care providers including registered practitioners, support staff and informal carers, focus on person-centred care and building the leadership skills and confidence to influence care given by diverse and multiprofessional team.