The impact of intermediate care: The carer's perspective

Abstract

Aims: The worldwide phenomenon of an ageing population has considerable consequences for health and health care; leading to greater demand for long-term care and support from families for older relatives. In the UK this, together with the preference for dependent older people to be cared for in the community, has led to the growth of intermediate care services (ICS) that bridge hospital and home offering rehabilitation and care. However, there has been limited in-depth exploration of carer perspectives of these services. This study therefore aimed to explore the impact of ICS on informal carers. Methods: An overview of UK Government policy on carers is provided to set the context. Qualitative semi-structured interviews, which explored participants’ lives as carers, their daily routine and what caring meant to them, were conducted with 19 informal carers within one ICS in north-west England. Findings: The ICS was not viewed in isolation; the impact of the ICS on the carer depended on previous experience and quality of health care, involvement in the decision making process, expectations and communication. Conclusions: A whole systems approach should be encouraged to increase awareness of carers’ experiences and the lasting impact negative experiences can have.

‘Is my journey destination home?’ Exploring the experiences of older adults who undertake a transition care programme: a qualitative study

“…Lack of preparatory information about TC, having pre-conceived ideas and unmet expectations expressed by older adults were confirmed by family members, TC staff and hospital clinicians, which strongly suggested that more preparation is required prior to TC admission (Sefcik et al ., 2016; Gadbois et al ., 2017). This concurs with previous findings that the lack of clinicians' knowledge of what TCP entails (Burke et al ., 2017), older adults not being given the opportunity to ask questions (Allen et al ., 2017), miscommunication at hospital discharge (Giosa et al ., 2014) and family members not being involved in decision making (Reid and Hulme, 2008) lead to older adults experiencing negative emotions and feeling underprepared to undertake TCP. Family member support also strongly influenced whether older adults experienced TCP positively and contributed to them being able to discharge home.…”