The role of informal caring within families Flashcards
Define informal caring?
Non-paid family carers, such as spouses, adult children or other relatives and friends
Are informal carers always adults?
No, can be children
Give 2 reasons why healthcare professionals need to be aware of informal carers?
Enabling people to stay at home relies on family members being able to take on the role of care
Caring for an older, chronically sick or disabled person can affect the health of the carer.
How many typologies of informal caring are there, and who proposed these?
4 typologies of informal caring
(Twigg and Atkin 1994)
What are the 4 typologies of informal caring?
Carers as resources
Carers as co-workers
Carers as co-clients
Superseded carers
Which typology of informal caring is the main model and preferred source of informal care, and why?
Carers as resources
Because family support is free and available, so is taken for granted and they are assumed to become carer
In informal caring with carers as resources, what does their service focus on?
Recipient maximising care from carer
In informal caring with carers as co-workers, why do they work with healthcare professionals that provide formal care to the recipient?
Promotes informal care whilst recognising that carer needs support
So they work with healthcare professionals to complete tasks that interlink with formal care.
In informal caring with carers as co-workers, can the informal carer start taking care of the recipient immediately?
No
Carer’s needs are targeted before they can become informal carer
In informal caring with carers as co-clients, is the wellbeing and support for the recipient or informal carer more important?
Carer’s and recipient’s need and wellbeing are equally important
In informal caring with carers as co-clients, what happens if the carer needs support themselves?
Carers are supported by services who will respond even if this diverts attention from recipient’s needs
In informal caring, how does a superseded carer occur?
Removal of recipient from informal carers, into independent living.
In informal caring with a superseded carer, what is often the aim of their service?
Start the process of separation
e.g. when services support a young person with special needs to transition from family care to independent living
Give 3 examples of impacts of informal care on the recipient?
Maintains sense of continuity in their lives
Help with everyday tasks eg. dressing
Emotional support
How does informal care generally affect the physical and mental health of the carer?
Negatively
How can variation in the needs of the recipient affect the risk of informal caring negatively impacting the mental health of the carer?
Risk of negative impact on mental health increases (especially psychological stress) when caring for disabled person with more needs
How does informal caring affect the carer’s sleep?
Less night-time than daytime support, so night-time caring worsens sleep
As an informal carer, is it easy or difficult to maintain sense of self?
Difficult to maintain sense of self
Because they are busy constantly maintaining sense of continuity for recipient and what they define as ‘self’
What act was introduced to address employment of informal cares that is affected by many unpaid hours per week?
Care Act 2014: Local authorities have a duty to provide services and support to carers whose employment is at risk
