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Review of respite services and short-term breaks for carers for people with dementia: report for the National Co-ordinating Centre for NHS Service Delivery and Organisation
- Authors:
- ARKSEY Hilary, et al
- Publisher:
- University of York. Social Policy Research Unit
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 167p.
- Place of publication:
- York
The overall aim of the review was to establish the current state of knowledge about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of respite care and short breaks for carers for people with dementia. Within this the study had the following key objectives: to identify the full range of respite services for carers for people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, including younger people with dementia; to examine the evidence from published and grey literature about effective and cost-effective respite services for carers for people with dementia; to further develop existing conceptualisations of 'effectiveness' and 'cost-effectiveness' specifically in relation to respite services for carers for people with dementia; and to identify examples of good practice of respite care and short breaks in health and social servcies, as well as the voluntary and independent sectors, for carers for people with dementia.
Scoping the field: services for carers of people with mental health problems
- Author:
- ARKSEY Hilary
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 11(4), July 2003, pp.335-344.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Mental ill health is very common. Most people with problems live in the community, and as many as 1.5 million people in the UK may be involved in caring for a relative or friend with mental illness or some form of dementia. Recent legislation and policy initiatives such as the National Strategy for Carers and the National Service Frameworks for Mental Health and Older People emphasise the importance of providing support for this group. This paper reports the findings of a scoping study to identify what research tells us about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions for carers of people with mental health problems, and also where there are gaps in the knowledge base. Some 204 evaluation studies were included, just 13 of which had an economic component. Most were conducted in the USA and were aimed at carers of people with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. Overall, there was a lack of strong evidence to support any specific interventions, although almost all studies were able to identify some positive outcomes of services provided. In contrast to the relatively narrow approach to effectiveness adopted in most studies reviewed, the contributors to a consultation exercise perceived this concept in a far more rounded and holistic way. For them, the process of service delivery was as important as the outcome. There was relatively little research evaluating interventions and services singled out in UK policy initiatives as potentially useful in supporting this group of carers. Further evaluation studies are needed.