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Managing patients with dementia
Published in Christopher Dowrick, Global Primary Mental Health Care, 2019
Ferdinando Petrazzuoli, Christos Lionis, Venetia Young
Family caregivers commonly receive help from their children, other family members and siblings, as well as friends and neighbours, volunteers and religious acquaintances, and this is a great help especially in less developed countries.
Introduction
Published in Rebecca A. Bitenc, Reconsidering Dementia Narratives, 2019
Dementia represents a major public health concern. As our societies age, more and more people are affected by dementia. Accordingly, the number of people involved in providing care—from family members to professional caregivers—is rising. Social science research suggests that family caregivers experience ill health, depression and social alienation due to their caregiving duties. Increasing incidence rates of dementia, coupled with restricted financial and human resources raise moral questions about solidarity and caregiving. Forster’s novel explores the ‘burden’ of family caregiving and, as early as 1989, it asks how much future generations will be prepared to invest—emotionally as well as financially—in older and increasingly incapacitated generations.
Overview Of Psychosocial Factors Contributing To Stress Of Family Caregivers
Published in Zaven S. Khachaturian, Teresa S. Radebaugh, Alzheimer’s Disease, 2019
Despite these gaps in the literature and inconsistencies in the research methods used, studies overwhelmingly point to the adverse effects of caregiving for a person with dementia. Of particular note are the large number of methodologically rigorous studies citing caregiver depression as a major outcome. Other replicated findings include high levels of caregiver hostility, caregiver ill health and physical and emotional strain, increased psychotropic drug use and stress-related symptoms among caregivers, higher rates of health care utilization including more physician visits and prescription medications, and development of asocial behaviors.23,26 Space limitations of this chapter preclude a thorough review of the literature in this domain. Therefore, the following section provides an abbreviated overview of caregiver burden and stress, the physical and psychosocial morbidity associated with caregiving, social and financial responses of family caregivers, and cultural issues related to caregiving.
“If I wasn’t in a rural area, I would definitely have more support”: social needs identified by rural cancer caregivers and hospital staff
Published in Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 2023
Erin E. Kent, Sejin Lee, Sarah Asad, Erin E. Dobbins, Elizabeth V. Aimone, Eliza M. Park
In the U.S., an estimated six million individuals currently provide unpaid care for patients with cancer.1 These caregivers, who are usually unpaid family members, provide high value care that supports patients’ well-being and delivers cost savings benefits to healthcare payors (insurance) and health systems. Yet, this care often comes at personal expense.2 Like the patients they care for, family caregivers experience multiple challenges and wide-ranging needs.3–5 Cancer caregiving impacts nearly every aspect of the caregiver’s life. Caregivers’ unmet social needs (physical health, emotional wellbeing, financial stability, and employment) can also affect patients’ quality of care and health outcomes.3,6 The shift from inpatient to outpatient cancer treatment has come with significant cost to cancer patients and their family caregivers.7 It is estimated that the cost of caregiving is between 18 and 33% of the total cost of cancer treatment, based on productivity losses, healthcare, and informal care costs.8 Healthcare systems increasingly recognize the benefits of addressing patients’ social needs;9 however, programs that also address caregiver needs could further improve both patient and caregiver outcomes.10 These types of programs could be particularly salient for individuals in rural communities who face unique challenges to both caregiving and accessing resources.
Evaluating the Benefits of a Family Support Program on the Health and Well-Being of Aging Family Caregivers of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Published in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2023
Sharon Milberger, Christina Marsack-Topolewski, Elizabeth Janks, Nia Anderson, Michael Bray, Preethy S. Samuel
A family caregiver was defined as a parent, spouse, sibling, or other relative, excluding formal paid caregivers. Participants were recruited through the aging caregiving project e-mail listserv and the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute’s Twitter and Facebook social media platforms. In addition, partnerships were established with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Aging and Adult Services, the Michigan Autism Council, XXX Institute of Gerontology, The Arc Michigan, Autism Alliance of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and the Michigan Alliance for Families to access the statewide resources and networks for engagement of aging caregivers and families. Snowball sampling was used with participants asked to refer friends or others in their social networks with potential interest in participating.
Exploring the Motivations of Family Caregivers Caring for Older Persons in Urban Poor Accra, Ghana
Published in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2022
Frank Kyei-Arthur, Deborah Atobrah
Globally, care for older persons has become a topical issue due to an increase in the proportion of older persons (60 years and older). The increased proportion of older persons is primarily due to an increase in life expectancy and a decline in fertility (United Nations Population Division, 2020). The family is most often responsible for caregiving, although institutionalized care is more common in high-income countries (Lloyd-Sherlock, 2014; van der Geest, 2016). Family caregivers generally refer to individuals who provide unpaid assistance to family members or friends who need care and support due to physical, emotional, or cognitive impairments (Schulz et al., 2020). Family caregivers are often women, and family caregiving is commonly perceived as a female task (Eriksson et al., 2013; Kusi et al., 2020; Manuh & Quashigah, 2009). In a Ghanaian and African context, women often provide practical care while men provide financial care (Agyemang-Duah, Mensah et al., 2019).