Review of the international evidence on support for unpaid carers

Abstract

The editorial board welcomes submissions of high quality, original articles that fit with the Journal's remit. We will consider articles that are also relevant to the care of children and younger people where there is clear relevance for adult care (e.g. concerning issues of families or transitions into adult care). There is no fee for submitting or publishing articles, which will be made available with open access on the journal's website to encourage maximum impact for all work.

Shifting Arrays of a Kaleidoscope: The Orchestration of Relational Value Cocreation in Service Systems

“…Globally, in line with demographic, economic, and sociocultural changes, the number of family caregivers has grown significantly in recent years (Verbakel 2018). This has led to reduced employment opportunities and health challenges for caregivers (Brimblecombe et al 2018), necessitating increased support to maintain and sustain their physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. By involving those most impacted by the research (Ozanne et al 2017)—family caregivers—a relational engagement approach prioritizes responsive information exchange with or in relation to participants, and by association their dependent relatives and representative organizations, rather than for them.…”

Healthcare utilization and monetary costs associated with agitation in UK care home residents with advanced dementia: a prospective cohort study

“…Even when PWD are residing in the care home, their informal carers alleviate some of the burden placed on services. According to 2015 data, in the UK, some 3.6 million of the 5.0 million carers of older people provide less than 10 hours of care/week, while the remainder provide more; (90%) of these carers are aged under 65, and 67% are in employment (Brimblecombe et al ., 2016) and 21% of those in employment had to cut their working hours or leave employment to care for PWD (Public Health England, 2018). There are currently no UK studies that incorporate the monetary value of informal care based on actual working time when caring for persons with dementia residing not in the community setting, but at a care home.…”

The potential of transformative video design for improving caregiver’s wellbeing

“…The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in informal caregivers, followed by the progressive lack of self-care behaviours, and higher mortality rates through the development of chronic conditions, has been consistently noted in the literature (e.g. Bell et al, 2001;Brimblecombe et al, 2018;Lamura et al, 2008;Schulz et al, 2012).…”

“…For instance, the informal caregivers of patients in vegetative states form a belief of being a unique point of reference for care recipient needs, ultimately neglecting themselves throughout their devotion to care recipients (Cipolletta et al, 2016). Nevertheless, caregivers are increasingly expected to assume more demanding roles, including medical care at home, a mediator between health care systems and nursing homes, and be decision-makers for complex health issues (Brimblecombe et al, 2018;Stall et al, 2019).…”