Dementia Care: Intersecting Informal Family Care and Formal Care Systems
Dementia Care: Intersecting Informal Family Care and Formal Care Systems
复制标题
痴呆症护理：非正式家庭护理和正式护理系统的交叉
作者：
Prabhjot Singh;R. Hussain;A. Khan;L. Irwin;R. Foskey
痴呆症是老年人残疾和依赖的主要原因之一，以前的研究强调了痴呆症患者的福祉与他们与非正式照顾者的关系质量有着内在的联系。反过来，这些照顾者可能会因照顾患有痴呆症的家庭成员的要求而经历严重的情绪压力和身体负担，但他们对正规服务的利用往往低于与老龄化有关的其他条件。本文基于在澳大利亚昆士兰州进行的一项定性研究，从非正式家庭照顾者的角度探讨了痴呆症护理中获得和使用正式服务的问题。它确定了三个关键点，在这三个关键点上，正规护理系统的政策和做法的变化可以提高非正规护理人员继续护理其痴呆症家庭成员的能力：当症状首次变得明显并寻求诊断时;当痴呆症患者的状况发生变化，导致其支持需求发生变化时;当照顾者所经历的非正式照顾负担如此之大，以至于某种形式的过渡似乎在照顾安排中是不可或缺的。
Dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependence amongst older people and previous research has highlighted how the well-being of people with dementia is inherently connected to the quality of their relationships with their informal carers. In turn, these carers can experience significant levels of emotional stress and physical burden from the demands of caring for a family member with dementia, yet their uptake of formal services tends to be lower than in other conditions related to ageing. This paper is based on a qualitative study undertaken in the Australian state of Queensland and explores issues of access to and use of formal services in dementia care from the perspective of the informal family carers. It identifies three critical points at which changes in policy and practice in the formal care system could improve the capability of informal carers to continue to care for their family member with dementia: when symptoms first become apparent and a diagnosis is sought; when the condition of the person with dementia changes resulting in a change to their support needs; and when the burden of informal care being experienced by the carer is so great that some form of transition appears to be immanent in the care arrangement.