Informal Carers Flashcards
What is the difference between community-based and residential-based services?
- Community-based = services in their own home
- Residential-based = in private homes, nursing/care homes
Which people receive the most social care?
- Physical disability (66%)
- Mental health (20%)
- Learning disability (12%)
- Other vulnerable people (2%)
Often older people
Number of clients receiving care by service type has fallen between 2004 and 2014. Why might this be?
The ONS (2015) report suggested following reasons for fall in clients:
- An increase in provision of rehab serices outside of formal asessment process
- Raised eligibility criteria for services
- Reduced funding/resources for councils
What makes up ‘community-based’ services?
- Home care - cleaning, tidying, shopping, cooking
- Equipment + adaptations - hoists, adaptations in home
- Professional support - nurse/social worker assess needs of client + of informal carer
- Day care - take out to interact w/ others (prevent isolation)
- Meal-on-wheels
What actually is ‘informal care’?
Care carried out by the community rather than ‘in the community’. Based upon kinship obligations between members of the immediate family. Voluntary.
The 2014 care act seeks to built upon recent reviews to provide a more coherent approach to adult social care in England. It introduced a new statutory principle, individual wellbeing; what factors does this relate to?
- Personal dignity
- Physical and mental health + emotional wellbeing
- Protection from abuse and neglect
- Control by the individual over day-to-day life
- Participation in work, education, training or recreation
- Social and economic wellbeing
- Domestic, family and personal relationships
- Suitability of living accommodation
- The individual’s contribution to society
The current eligibility criteria has 4 categories, what are they and what do they mean?
Critical, substantial, moderate and low.
Local authorities only have to provide services to those who fall within the critical band, but can choos eto provide services for people who fall into other bands if resources allow.
What does the national eligibility criteria that is to be introduced state?
Introduce a minimum threshold and if a carer or person being cared for meets this threshold, they will have eligible needs. Following a financial assessment, the local authority will then have to agree with the person assessed which of their eligible needs they will meet and how.
Why is the new (threshold) criteria better than the old/current (4 category) criteria?
The new criteria (threshold) most resembles the ‘substantial’ need category -> GOOD because will allow for many more disabled people to be eligible for care + support.
What is the financial impact of being an informal carer?
- Carers may have to give up own careers because it is difficult to combine the demands of paid employment with caring responsibilities.
- Reduced financial cost to state, but overall increased cost to carer and person being cared for. Carers UK survey (2005) -> 77% of carers financially worse off, despite receiving Carer’s Allowance.
What are the social impacts of being an informal carer?
- Carers typically experience reduced independence and a reduction in their social participation as a consequence of their role.
- The unpaid care remains undervalued in society -> loss of social status.
- Other outside leisure + maintaining friendships interests may have had to be curtailed in order to meet the needs fo the person w/ chronic illness -> social isolation.
What are the physical impacts of being a informal carer?
- Physical labour involved in meeting activties of daily living for an immobile person can be considerable + likely to be demanding for carers who are likely to be elderly themselves.
- British Household Panel Survey data (2004) analysis -> health of carers more likely to deteriorate over time than health of non-carers + many of these detrimental changes are directly attributable to the caring role.
What are the personal impacts of being an informal carer and to the one being cared for?
- Carers themselves may exp loss of personal autonomy in relation to their increased dependence on others for support in their caring role.
- Caring relationships between partners + family members are reciprocal, however relationship tensions can arise from the increasing dependence of the recipient of care in the relationship.
- Individuals who are physically dependent on their partner may well feel frustration + anger w/ their physical condition which they cannot express to their carer.
