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Older people – recipients but also providers of informal care: an analysis among community samples in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
- Authors:
- MCGEE Hannah M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 16(5), September 2008, pp.548-553.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Data on both the provision and receipt of informal care among populations of older adults are limited. Patterns of both informal care provided and received by older adults in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Northern Ireland (NI) were evaluated. A cross-sectional community-based population survey was conducted. Randomly selected older people (aged 65+, n = 2033, mean age (standard deviation): 74.1 years (6.8), 43% men, 68% response rate) provided information on the provision and receipt of care, its location, and the person(s) who provided the care. Twelve per cent of the sample (251/2033) identified themselves as informal caregivers (8% RoI and 17% NI). Caregivers were more likely to be women, married, have less education and have less functional impairment. Forty-nine per cent reported receiving some form of care in the past year. Care recipients were more likely to be older, married, have more functional impairment, and poorer self-rated health. Receiving regular informal care (help at least once a week) from a non-resident relative was the most common form of help received. Five per cent (n = 102/2033) of the sample reported both providing and receiving informal care. Levels of informal care provided by community-dwelling older adults were notably higher than reported in single-item national census questions. The balance of formal and informal health and social care will become increasingly important as populations age. It is essential, therefore, to evaluate factors facilitating or impeding informal care delivery.
Care provision for African American elders: family attitudes and strategies
- Author:
- STEWART Pearl
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 6(1), 2008, pp.61-81.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
This study uses a qualitative method and a Kinscripts perspective to examine in detail the attitudes towards caring for their elderly members of a large, extended African American family originating in rural North Carolina. Forty-eight interviews with family members aged 15 to 80 revealed a continued strong commitment to providing care for older people at home, which pre-dates slavery and has its roots in West African culture. There is an emphasis on spreading tasks across a broad range of family members rather than relying on a primary carer, with the majority of older people continuing to live in their own homes. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
What do people value when they provide unpaid care for an older person?: a meta-ethnography with interview follow-up
- Authors:
- AL-JANABI Hareth, COAST Joanna, FLYNN Terry N.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 67(1), July 2008, pp.111-121.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Government policies to shift care into the community and demographic changes mean that unpaid (informal) carers will increasingly be relied on to deliver care, particularly to older people. As a result, careful consideration needs to be given to informal care in economic evaluations. Current methods for economic evaluations may neglect important aspects of informal care. This paper reports the development of a simple measure of the caring experience for use in economic evaluations. A meta-ethnography was used to reduce qualitative research to six conceptual attributes of caring. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were then conducted with carers of older people to check the attributes and develop them into the measure. Six attributes of the caring experience comprise the final measure: getting on, organisational assistance, social support, activities, control, and fulfilment. The final measure (the Carer Experience Scale) focuses on the process of providing care, rather than health outcomes from caring. Arguably this provides a more direct assessment of carers' welfare. Following work to test and scale the measure, it may offer a promising way of incorporating the impact on carers in economic evaluations.
Living and caring for all
- Author:
- LLOYD James
- Publisher:
- International Longevity Centre UK
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 26p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Drawing on and responding to Living and Caring? An Investigation of the Experience of Older Carers (a study exploring the effect of care provision on the lives of people aged 50 years and older), this report aims to explore key strategic public policy issues concerning unpaid care provision by older people. It discusses factors shaping the provision and patterns of unpaid care by the older population, reviews the outcomes that older carers experience, and summarises research evidence about the quality of life of older carers. It considers the future of carers policy, commenting that demand for social care will increase in line with population ageing and increasing longevity, and recommends increasing the supply and availability of formal care, and dispersing the burden of unpaid care by increasing the number of unpaid carers through approaches such as improved support for carers.
Personal assistance for older adults (65+) without dementia
- Authors:
- MONTGOMERY Paul, MAYO-WILSON Evan, DENNIS Jane
- Journal article citation:
- Campbell Systematic Reviews, 4(1), 2008, pp.1-52.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This systematic review investigated the effectiveness of personal assistance versus any other form of care for older adults. Personal assistance is defined as paid support of at least 20 hours per week for people with impairments. Four studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria, which included 1,642 participants. They suggested that personal assistance may be preferred over other services; however, some people prefer other models of care. This review indicates that personal assistance probably has some benefits for some recipients and their informal caregivers. Paid assistance might substitute for informal care and cost government more than alternative arrangements; however, the relative total costs to recipients and society are unknown. While advocates may support personal assistance for myriad reasons, this review concluded that further studies were required to determine which models of personal assistance were most effective. (Edited publisher abstract)
Reforming care and support: learning from Japan
- Author:
- PASSINGHAM Anna
- Publisher:
- Counsel and Care
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 25p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The charity Counsel and Care calls for a care debate that recognises the global impact of an ageing population. It is argued that the Government's forthcoming green paper on the future of care and support in England must look at how care for older people has been successfully reformed in other countries. Japan has the world's fastest ageing population, highest life expectancies and a declining birthrate. The Japanese government's implementation of a national long-term care insurance system has ensured all Japanese older people get the care and support they need, despite the demographic timebomb. This experience should inform England's own long-awaited reform of social care.
The future Home Improvement Agency: supporting choice and maintaining independence: a report overview
- Author:
- FOUNDATIONS
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Communities and Local Government
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 38p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This report gives an overview of the key findings of the Future HIA project carried out by Foundations on behalf of Communities and Local Government (CLG). Home Improvement Agencies (HIAs) help vulnerable people to maintain their independence. Their primary focus is the repair or adaptation of the client's home, and in support of this objective they may provide a range of services depending on local needs and circumstances. The Future HIA project aims to set out a broad agenda for the evolution of the sector to its next level. It highlights what is already being done well by HIAs and suggests models for wider application.
How to thrive past 55: what science tells us about ageing well
- Editors:
- WILSON Deanna, (ed.)
- Publisher:
- Help the Aged
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 192p.
- Place of publication:
- London
We are all living longer lives – and we want to remain fit and active for as long as possible. How to Thrive Past 55 presents the facts, direct from the scientists, about how to achieve this – often by making simple changes to our lifestyle. And best of all, it tells us that it’s never too late. This book offers the sort of down-to-earth advice that anyone can benefit from.
Caring for a parent in later life: getting support, and coping with the financial, legal and emotional issues
- Author:
- CAMERON Judith
- Publisher:
- Help the Aged
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 224p.
- Place of publication:
- London
When our parents reach an age where they are less able to cope with life, we need to offer support and to take responsibility for their well-being. This guide looks at that transition and at other age-related issues, including: levels of care, and how it might be provided; housing options, including home adaptations, sheltered accommodation and care homes; pensions, benefits and legal matters; and health problems, hospitals, elder abuse and end-of-life issues.
Informal care for older people provided by their adult children: projections of supply and demand to 2041 in England
- Author:
- PICKARD Linda
- Publisher:
- Personal Social Services Research Unit
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 18p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
The PSSRU was funded by the Strategy Unit (Cabinet Office) and the Department of Health to produce projections of the supply of informal care for younger adults and older people in England to 2041. For younger and older adults , the supply of informal care was compared to demand in future years. The analyses focus on the supply of intense care provided for 20 or more hours a week and on demand for social care from disabled people. The results show that, on the assumptions used, future informal care supply is projected to be lower than estimated demand in respect of both younger adults and older people.