No abstract

Background: Young carers are children or young people who look after family members who are ill or have disabilities. They take over similar caregiving responsibilities to those of adult family carers and need special support. The purpose of this literature review was to summarize the body of knowledge about young carers' lives with a special focus on their personal experiences, impact of caring, needs and coping behaviors. Method: A systematic review was carried out, including quantitative and qualitative studies as well as reviews published in English or German. The following databases were searched: Cinahl, Embase®, PubMed®, Gesis sowiport, ERIC®, Cochrane Library, Pubpsych, PsychArticles (1/2007 to 6/2017). The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and the methodology checklist NICE were used to assess the literature. Results: After appraisal, 25 studies which considered young carers between four and 25 years of age were included. Studies reported that many children in families with chronically ill members are highly involved in caring. Due to this responsibility, they spend most of their time at home. Although the caregiving experiences are pervasive, the children conceal the conditions of their relatives from others. They also do not want to be identified as young carers. Thus, their social experiences are limited. These children or adolescents would like to live a "normal live". They prioritize their family member's needs over their own. They would like professional support, which recognizes the real needs of their family members.Conclusions: This systematic review shows that since 2007 the situation of affected children and adolescents has achieved an important place in international research and also in German-language countries. Based on the included studies, it has been possible to identify theoretical models that help to describe and explain the phenomenon of young carers. In order to provide appropriate support and interventions, it is of importance for the professionals to know and consider that a family-oriented perspective is vital.

No abstract

Background/Objectives Dementia-friendly initiatives are becoming common in society, politics, and research, including health care. Regarding efforts to improve care for patients with dementia in hospitals, the term dementia-friendly hospital is being used increasingly. However, a theoretical understanding of this term and the underlying concept are missing. This integrative review aims to identify current descriptions of dementia-friendly hospitals and to analyze their characteristics. Methods An integrative review was conducted. The databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, and additional resources were searched. Two reviewers independently screened publications for inclusion. We extracted data from the included publications and analyzed the descriptions of dementia-friendly hospitals using inductive content analysis in an iterative process. Results We identified 4191 records and included 34 publications on 17 descriptions of dementia-friendly hospitals. These were found in the context of practice projects (n = 8), recommendations (n = 6) and research (n = 3). Our analysis resulted in six characteristics of dementia-friendly hospitals. Characteristics related to the patients and their care are continuity, person-centeredness, consideration of phenomena within dementia and environment. Additional characteristics are valuing relatives and knowledge and expertise within the hospital. Conclusion Dementia-friendly hospitals are currently characterized more by healthcare practices and professional dementia experts than by the results of empirical studies. Additionally, the perspective of people with dementia is underrepresented in current descriptions. Accordingly, further research is needed that involves people with dementia in order to develop a theoretical understanding and suitable concepts of dementia-friendly hospitals, since their perspective is essential.