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Article
Publication date: 14 June 2013

Susann Rabold and Thomas Goergen

Although there is some anecdotal evidence for the phenomenon of abuse and neglect of community‐dwelling older care recipients by home care services, empirical data on this topic…

Abstract

Purpose

Although there is some anecdotal evidence for the phenomenon of abuse and neglect of community‐dwelling older care recipients by home care services, empirical data on this topic are almost completely lacking in Germany. Thus the main purpose of this study was to determine scope and risk factors of abuse and neglect of older care recipients by nursing staff.

Design/methodology/approach

A self‐report study was conducted among home care nursing staff in the German city of Hanover. A total of 503 professional caregivers took part in the study; the response rate was 43.3 per cent.

Findings

Nearly 40 per cent of all respondents reported at least one incident of abuse or neglect of an older care recipient within the last 12 months. Psychological abuse/verbal aggression and neglect were most common. Serious problem behaviour can be predicted by care recipients’ aggressive behaviour, the number of a nurse's clients suffering from dementia, subjects’ use of alcohol as a means of alleviating work‐related stress, and general judgments of quality of care delivered by the respective home care service.

Originality/value

The study provides a first impression about the extent and potential causes of abuse and neglect by home care nursing staff. Findings show that the problem of abuse and neglect of care recipients is not limited to nursing homes and care by family members. The paper also points at opportunities for prevention and accentuates the need for further research in this field.

Details

The Journal of Adult Protection, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1466-8203

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 2 May 2024

Patricia Yocie Hierofani and Micheline van Riemsdijk

As populations are ageing and the global average life expectancy is rising, the provision of care for older people is an increasingly salient issue. This paper aims to focus on…

Abstract

Purpose

As populations are ageing and the global average life expectancy is rising, the provision of care for older people is an increasingly salient issue. This paper aims to focus on family-provided care for older immigrants, examining how older immigrants and care providers experience and construct family caregiving.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on interviews with care recipients, family care providers, municipal staff and representatives for migrant organisations in Sweden, this study presents a typology of family caregiving for older immigrants.

Findings

The authors found three caregiving types, namely, solely family-provided care and a combination of family care and public care (predominantly one or the other). The decision to select family-provided or publicly-funded care depends on personal and institutional factors.

Originality/value

The paper makes three empirical contributions to the literature on care provision for older immigrants. Firstly, this study provides insights into the structural and personal factors that shape care-giving arrangements for older immigrants. Secondly, this study examines the perspectives of care recipients and care providers on family-provided care. Care expectations differ between both groups and sometimes result in intergenerational disagreement. Thirdly, in terms of institutional support, this study finds that the Swedish state’s notion of individual needs does not match the needs of immigrant elderly and their caregivers. The paper places the care types in a broader discussion about eldercare provision in the Swedish welfare state, which has experienced a decline in publicly funded care services and an increase in family caregiving in the past 30 years. In addition, it addresses questions of dignified ageing from a minority perspective.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 February 2024

Anas Shehadeh, Sharyn Hunter and Sarah Jeong

This study aims to describe the current conceptualisation of self-management of dementia by family carers in the literature and from the views of dementia professionals and family…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to describe the current conceptualisation of self-management of dementia by family carers in the literature and from the views of dementia professionals and family carers, and to establish a more comprehensive concept of self-management of dementia by family carers.

Design/methodology/approach

A hybrid concept analysis included three phases: the theoretical phase reviewed the literature on self-management of dementia by family carers; the fieldwork phase interviewed professionals and family carers; and the analytical phase synthesised and discussed the findings from the previous two phases.

Findings

The findings revealed that self-management of dementia by family carers encompasses four domains: supporting care recipients, self-care, sustaining a positive relationship with care recipients, and personal characteristics and skills.

Originality/value

The findings highlighted the essential elements of the construct of self-management of dementia by family carers. The findings can be used as a conceptual framework of self-management and are useful in designing and evaluating self-management support interventions for family carers.

Details

Working with Older People, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-3666

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 15 March 2021

G. J. Hodson

While women remain the majority of caregivers, gender parity is reported among Millennials, people of color, and LGBTQ caregivers. Such dynamics of care dyads are rarely explored…

Abstract

While women remain the majority of caregivers, gender parity is reported among Millennials, people of color, and LGBTQ caregivers. Such dynamics of care dyads are rarely explored in relationship with caregiver selection, social support, or care outcomes, and without standardized measures we are uncertain whether this trend is associated with youth, demographic changes, or a societal shift. Utilizing the Caregiving in the US 2015 data set, this exploratory, quantitative study examines relationships between gender, primary condition, and two social designations around age (kinship generations and birth cohorts) to develop a preliminary categorization of informal caregivers in the United States by reviewing descriptives and correlations, then testing with multivariate regression. A model combining Millennial caregivers, same-generation dyads, and two primary conditions (mental illness and stroke) successfully predicts variance as to whether a dyad will comprise one woman caring for another woman, the most common dyad. Findings demonstrate the interconnectedness of caregiving generational models, suggesting that categorizing dyads from such variables is viable. This study deepens inquiry into intergenerational caregiving and makes a case for generationality and caregiving to be studied together.

Details

Gender and Generations: Continuity and Change
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-033-7

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2009

Nerina Vecchio, Patti Cybinski and Stella Stevens

The perception among carers and health professionals is that the health care system remains limited in its effectiveness and accessibility to non‐institutionalized people with a…

1101

Abstract

Purpose

The perception among carers and health professionals is that the health care system remains limited in its effectiveness and accessibility to non‐institutionalized people with a mental illness. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of the care recipient's main disabling condition (either physical or mental) on the carer's perceived need for assistance in their role as carer.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the data collected from the Australian Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, the investigation involves the non‐institutionalized recipients of care with profound and severe disabilities, aged 15 years and over, residing in private dwellings and their primary informal carers.

Findings

Regression analysis reveals that carers of those with a mental disability are 2.7 times more likely to report care needs unmet compared to carers of those with a physical disability. Further analysis using interactions shows that carers who are the adult children of mentally disabled parents report a comparatively very large amount of perceived unmet need.

Originality/value

If equity is measured in terms of perceived need rather than finite resources a case is made that primary carers of people with a mental disability experience greater burdens in care.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 36 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 6 January 2020

Carol Atkinson and Sarah Crozier

The purpose of this paper is to examine the marketization of domiciliary care, its consequences for employment practice, specifically fragmented time, and the implications for care

2392

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the marketization of domiciliary care, its consequences for employment practice, specifically fragmented time, and the implications for care quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Focus groups and face-to-face or telephone interviews were conducted with care commissioners, service providers and care workers across Wales. There were 113 participants in total.

Findings

These demonstrate fragmented time’s negative consequences for service providers, care workers and, ultimately, care quality.

Research limitations/implications

No care recipients were interviewed and care quality was explored through the perceptions of other stakeholders.

Social implications

For policy makers, tensions are evidenced between aspirations for high-quality care and commissioning practice that mitigates against it. Current care commissioning practices need urgent review.

Originality/value

The research extends the definition of fragmented time and integrates with a model of care quality to demonstrate its negative consequences. Links between employment practice and care quality have only previously been hinted at.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 42 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 November 2022

Elsie Yan, Haze K.L. Ng, Rongwei Sun, Daniel W.L. Lai, Sheung-Tak Cheng, Vivian W.Q. Lou, Daniel Y.T. Fong and Timothy Kwok

This study aims to explore the risk and protective factors of abuse on older adults by family caregivers, with a special focus on the protective role of caregiver resilience in…

1786

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the risk and protective factors of abuse on older adults by family caregivers, with a special focus on the protective role of caregiver resilience in elder abuse.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional survey was conducted on a purposive sample of 600 family caregivers of community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong (mean age = 71.04 and female = 67.2%). Caregivers reported in a guided interview about elder abuse behaviours, caregiver burden, care recipients’ agitated behaviours, caregiver resilience, self-efficacy, social support and basic demographic characteristics. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the predictors of different forms of elder abuse.

Findings

Caregiver resilience was predictive of lower levels of verbal abuse, physical abuse, injury and financial exploitation but not potentially harmful behaviour (PHB). Social support was independent with all forms of elder abuse, while self-efficacy predicted greater physical abuse after the adjustment of confounding variables. Caregiver burden and agitated behaviours by care recipients remained as significant risk factors in the final models when protective factors were considered.

Research limitations/implications

This study extends current knowledge on the protecting role of resilience in elder abuse in family caregiving. Mixed findings revealed on social support and self-efficacy also highlight the complexity of the prediction of caregiver abuse. Further research should address this area.

Practical implications

The findings of this study warrant the inclusion of caregiver resilience as a key component in developing interventions to prevent elder abuse. Addressing caregiver burden and agitated behaviours have the potential in preventing elder abuse.

Social implications

The findings raise awareness of the importance of supporting caregivers in the community to prevent elder abuse.

Originality/value

Research concerning the protective factors of elder abuse is in a preliminary stage. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first which successfully demonstrates the protective role of resilience in caregiver abuse on older adults. The findings shed invaluable light on the design of effective interventions.

Details

The Journal of Adult Protection, vol. 24 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1466-8203

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 February 2008

Eva Ellström, Bodil Ekholm and Per‐Erik Ellström

The purpose of this paper is to first elaborate on the notion of a learning environment based on an empirical study of care work. Second, to explore how aspects of a learning…

4665

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to first elaborate on the notion of a learning environment based on an empirical study of care work. Second, to explore how aspects of a learning environment may differ between and within units in the same organization, and how to understand and explain such differences.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on a multiple case‐study design including four departments within two care units. Data were collected through direct observation of working conditions and work practices as well as semi‐structured interviews with all care‐workers within the two units (29 persons), and with the head and deputy head for each of the two units.

Findings

It was possible to distinguish between two qualitatively different patterns of working conditions and practices within the four teams. These patterns of practice were interpreted as representing an enabling and a constraining type of learning environment as these concepts were defined in this study. The evidence suggests that the emergence of an enabling learning environment was an outcome of a dynamic interplay between a number of factors that had the character of a virtuous circle.

Originality/value

The article adds to previous research through a distinction between two types of learning environment (enabling and constraining), and by linking these two types of learning environment to different conceptions of learning and to different working conditions and practices.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 20 October 2014

Monika Reichert, Gerd Naegele, Ruth Katz, Ariela Lowenstein and Dafna Halperin

To describe, analyze, and compare two long-term care (LTC) systems for elders in Germany and Israel.

Abstract

Purpose

To describe, analyze, and compare two long-term care (LTC) systems for elders in Germany and Israel.

Methodology

Secondary analyses of data on LTC beneficiaries, structure of service provision and content analyses of policy documents in a comparative perspective based on the Esping-Andersen welfare state typologies.

Findings

Descriptive background of demographic attributes in the two countries; discussion of LTC development laws which in Israel focuses on “aging in place” concept, where in-kind services are geared only to community-dwelling frail elders while in Germany it’s for community and institutionalized elders. Analyses of various service types provided their use, resources invested, and benefits incurred for frail elders and their family caregivers.

Practical and social implications

The advantages and shortcomings of the two systems were analyzed with recommendations for future developments. Such comparisons across nations can inform social policy debates in Germany and Israel as to how to prepare for population aging. The originality of such comparison can shed light on issues for LTC service development in other countries.

Details

Family and Health: Evolving Needs, Responsibilities, and Experiences
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-126-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2008

Traci Cascioli, Hasan Al‐Madfai, Paul Oborne and Sue Phelps

This study investigated, by way of interview (n=45), the needs of those caring for a person with dementia and their satisfaction with current services in the Caerphilly County…

Abstract

This study investigated, by way of interview (n=45), the needs of those caring for a person with dementia and their satisfaction with current services in the Caerphilly County Borough of South Wales. Carers reported having the most difficulty coping with the demands on their time and the emotional strain associated with caring. Carers requested more information regarding available services, the diagnosis of dementia and the legal and financial aspects of caring. They also mentioned the need for a night‐sitter service, a 24‐hour helpline, more support groups and more visits from social workers and community psychiatric nurses (CPNs). On the whole, the carers were satisfied with the services provided, although their use of these services was not extensive. However, issues around lack of support, quality and availability of homes and hospitals and poor communications were identified as areas of concern. The findings were welcomed by strategic planners and the information is being used as a basis for developing and improving specific carer support services.

Details

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-7794

Keywords

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