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In this article, perceived benefits, facilitators and challenges of peer support offered for and by people living with dementia are explored by comparing peer support provided by Dementia Lifestyle Coach (DLC) and Dementia Alliance International (DAI). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with interviewees from DLC and DAI. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Peer support offered by DLC and DAI provided connection and emotional and informational support and promoted living well with dementia. Each programme had unique barriers and facilitators. The article concludes that peer support for and by people living with dementia should be considered in post-diagnostic dementia support programmes.
This article analyses the relevance of the ethics of solidarity for unpaid care and discusses its implications for public health policy. It combines philosophical and health-policy-oriented methodologies and claims that solidarity obliges us not only to care for the most vulnerable populations but also to care with those who care. Both draw attention to the work of carers, who, despite their indispensable contribution, are notoriously invisible to healthcare systems. The article argues for their threefold recognition: as partners in healthcare provision; as co-citizens and employees with special needs; and as a potentially vulnerable population themselves.
This article explores the experiences of hospitalised older adults concerning the care they receive from family carers. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, alongside semi-structured interviews, data were gathered from eight older adults admitted to a teaching hospital in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The nature of care received by older adults and their attitudes towards it emerged as the two overarching themes identified from the data. Given the dissatisfaction levels with the care provided to older adults and the importance of familial support for them, implementing interventions that foster collaboration between the state and families to offer supportive services for older adults and their carers could enhance satisfaction with care and contribute to the sustainability of long-term care for older adults.
This pilot study examines the role and impact of a coaching intervention on carers’ lives and well-being, drawing on interview data with 12 carers and two coaches. It shows that carers highly value coaching. Reported benefits include: carers feeling listened to and treated as individuals; increased levels of self-awareness, self-care and confidence; and feeling more empowered, in control and able to make choices. Carers also reported improved relationships with their relatives and reduced feelings of hopelessness and anxiety. Further research is needed to capture the impact of coaching on a larger carer population, the sustainability of impact and cost-effectiveness.
Poor working conditions and high employee turnover in eldercare have frequently been addressed over the years. The aim of the study is to examine the relation between work overcommitment and employee well-being and turnover intentions in eldercare and whether leader support and role clarity moderate the relation between overcommitment and employee outcomes. A questionnaire was distributed to workplaces in eight Swedish municipalities. The results show that overcommitment was related to employees’ impaired well-being, as well as to their turnover intentions. We also found that leader support buffered the negative effects of overcommitment. The role clarity was quite high; however, it did not have a moderating effect.
This review aims to investigate the challenges and family acceptance of Asian and European families caring for children with cerebral palsy. Ten articles were found through searches of four databases. In both Asian and European contexts, the review reveals a variety of challenges faced by families (physical, psychological, social, emotional and financial). Family acceptance plays a substantial role in overcoming these challenges. In Asian contexts, cultural belief, stigma, prejudice and discrimination have a significant impact on family acceptance, whereas in European contexts, family acceptance is affected by children’s and families’ conditions, parents’ optimism, and their access to health and educational services.
Identifying informal carers is a complex task due to the diverse nature of caring roles and relationships. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to explore methods for informal carer identification. Six articles were reviewed. Methods for identification included population surveys, analysis of electronic medical records and a multifaceted approach focused on awareness and education in healthcare settings. There was considerable variability in the identification methods, the definitions of informal carers and the effectiveness of the methods to identify them. The review indicates a lack of consensus on the most effective methods for identifying informal carers.
This (integrative) review focuses on the relationship between cultural factors and the identity of carers of family members with Alzheimer’s in the Black community living in the US. The aims were to assess, first, the impact of cultural background on reasons for becoming a carer and, second, how the experience of caregiving impacts the carers’ sense of identity. This review comprises 38 articles meeting inclusion criteria and relevance to the two aims. Synthesizing research on cultural factors and caregiving identity indicated the retention of a familial identity derived from cultural background as crucial to understanding and addressing the needs of Black (and minority) caregivers.
People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) often depend on informal care partners (CPs), but the effect of CP presence on outcomes for people with PD remains unexamined. A systematic review was conducted for English-language articles reporting quantitative outcomes for people with PD and noting CP presence or absence. Of 153 included articles, only five recorded data about those lacking a CP. Findings were mixed when comparing motor and nonmotor outcomes by CP presence. Few articles distinguish between people with PD with access to CPs and those without, which may mask the unique needs of those who lack informal care.
The ongoing process of care marketisation is also impacting the Italian familistic welfare state, as evidenced by the increasing presence of private employment agencies in home-based care. This process is having different consequences, from workers’ segmentation to the multiplication of employment and working conditions. Time is essential in care work, and private agencies are provoking a real conceptual shift towards the idea of time as a subjective dimension of the employment relationship. When dealing with time regulation, the emphasis on autonomy and self-organisation faces the concrete limits established by a highly time-consuming activity like care work.
