Barriers to care and missing services from the point of view of informal caregivers in the South Bohemian Region

Abstract

Introduction: Due to the need and current relevance, informal care as a part of the long-term care system as well as the issue of caregivers are included in the Czech National Strategy for the Development of Social Services between 2016 and 2025. Goal: The goal of this qualitative research was to identify selected areas that informal caregivers encounter in connection with the care of a loved one in the home environment in the South Bohemian Region. The partial goal was to find out what problems informal caregivers face in connection with the use of social or health services. Methods: We analysed 44 in-depth interviews with 45 informal caregivers. Participants were selected using the "snowball sampling" technique and selection through institutions. The interviews were processed in the ATLAS.ti programme, version 9. Results: Barriers to informal care include lack of time, the insufficient possibility of physiotherapy at home, lack of information about the possibilities of use and type of services, and entitlement to benefits. Informal caregivers lack relief services, personal assistance, activation services, leisure activities, and transport services. Conclusions: Due to the complexity of the issue, informal care must be part of a comprehensive approach to caring. We recommend strengthening the competencies of informal caregivers through comprehensive counselling and other services. Individual needs of informal caregivers in the South Bohemian Region must be considered.

I'll do everything for him / her: the experiences of family caregivers caring for a dying patient at home (a phenomenological qualitative approach)

“…Conflicts can easily arise due to the contradictory nature of these roles and the demands placed on the caregivers; on the one hand, the effort to "Do everything for him / her", on the other hand frustration at the hopeless situation of the approaching the death of a loved one and their own physical and psychological limits and ignorance. Our research confirmed the conclusions of Hajduchová et al (2021) and Brémault-Phillips et al (2016) that on the part of family caregivers, there is insufficient knowledge in the area of nursing competencies and a lack of information about possible available services, which, as a result, increases the physical and mental burden. This burden is a very common and well-studied phenomenon of caring for a dying person at home.…”