Carers Experiences NOT FINISHED

Question 1

Define care

Answer 1

Care as a set of tasks: includes help with personal hygiene, continence management, help with eating, help with mobility, advice, personal assistance, shopping etc
Care as an emotional commitment: traditional association of ‘care’ with love and concern
Emotional commitment may be essential for the effective delivery of care tasks

Question 2

Define carer

Answer 2

Designated person who provided long-term help to a disabled person, usually a member of their immediate family
‘Carer’ later extended to include social care staff (i.e. staff who were not qualified social workers) who worked with disabled people in residential and day care services

Question 3

What are the different types of care providers?

Answer 3

• families and friends of disabled people
• NHS
• local authorities provide residential, day and domicilliart care
• charities: similar range of services as local authorities, but often more specialised
• private sector - especially in nursing and residential homes

Question 4

Give three examples of care dilemmas

Answer 4

• treating a person with a severe cognitive impairment as an autonomous adult vs the need to ensure they receive basic nursing and personal care essential for their health and survival
• allowing people to take risks vs the need to protect from exploitation and danger
• allowing people to make choices vs the need to protect them from the consequences of a poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption, or smoking

Question 5

What are the problems with the term carer?

Answer 5

• many families say that help and support given is part of the ordinary obligations and activities of family life. The words ‘mother’ and ‘father’ etc convey more meaning and prestige then carer
• support within families is reciprocal ie.. the disabled person may be giving as well
• the term ‘carer’ suggests that disabled people are in permanent need of the attention of others and thus incapable of leading an independent life

Question 6

What issues may arise for the carers of spouses/parteners

Answer 6

• feeling exposed and vulnerable, insuffient information
• changes in employment and income
• change in relationship and family responsibilites
• 24hr on call with limited personal resources to plan changes
• stress greatest in early stages of disability, and towards the end of life. Associated with numbers of hours engaged

Question 7

What impact on family life does caring for a child have?

Answer 7

• parents of disabled children are from all social classes, but are more likely to be single parents and live in poverty
• caring for a disabled child is usually more consuming and costly than for other children, and can limit parental employment and retirement income
• disproportionate effects of apternts who have low incomes or ethnic minorities

Question 8

What are the other impacts of caring for a disabled child?

Answer 8

• stigmatisation of parents as responsible for the creation of a disabled child
• stigmatisation of parents as neurotic as a consequence of their guilt in producing such as child
• ## impact on income, QoL and mental health of family members