Caregiving families within the long-term services and support system for older adults.

Abstract

Long-term care services and supports are primarily a family industry that warrants psychologists' involvement through practice, research, and policy advocacy. Families are poorly integrated into service systems despite the dominance of family caregiving work within health care and long-term care. This article positions family caregiving work within the context of family life across the life span, noting overlaps and distinctions between normal family life and caregiving work for older adults whose physical or cognitive challenges require assistance. The prevalence, work, and consequences of family caregiving for older adults are described. Families are identified as key partners in long-term care, despite substantial policy and practice barriers to integrating them into care structures and systems. Policy options for reducing or eliminating barriers are suggested, as are professional practice opportunities for psychologists to support caregiving families. Approaches to assessment and interventions for caregivers across a variety of settings are described. Gaps in research are highlighted, with a focus on how to understand caregiving as embedded within context of family, long-term care services and supports, and health care. Caregiving work presents an imperative for expanding psychologists' engagement in integrating and supporting the families whose caregiving is so critical to a rapidly aging society. (PsycINFO Database Record

Care for Caregivers: Understanding the Need for Caregiver Support

“…Definitions of caregiving are broad, encompassing a diverse population of caregivers and care recipients. Generally, a care recipient is an adult who requires assistance with personal care or household activities (Qualls, ). Some individuals who require care pay for caregiving services, but many rely on family members or friends for informal care.…”

“…Some individuals who require care pay for caregiving services, but many rely on family members or friends for informal care. A distinction must be made between the general caregiving, or sharing of tasks, that commonly occurs in households of healthy adults and the point at which an identified family member begins to require additional assistance (Qualls, ).…”

“…Informal caregivers are more likely to be female than male, with an average age of 49.2 years (NAC, ). Informal caregivers are often adult children or spouses (Qualls, ), although siblings, neighbors, extended family, or friends also fulfill the role. About 35% of care recipients live with their caregiver; the remainder live independently, in long‐term care settings, or with someone other than the caregiver (NAC, ).…”

Self‐compassion as an applicable intervention target for family carers of older adults: A conceptual commentary

“…Caring for an older family member can be a challenging and stressful experience, and there is a need to better support family carers in their role . Drawing on a rapidly growing body of research conducted with various population groups, there is reason to suggest that psychological interventions that target self‐compassion could be particularly relevant in supporting family carers of older adults.…”

“…Caring for an older family member can be a challenging and stressful experience, and there is a need to better support family carers in their role. 1 Drawing on a rapidly growing body of research conducted with various population groups, 2 there is reason to suggest that psychological interventions that target self-compassion could be particularly relevant in supporting family carers of older adults. Yet, research exploring self-compassion within this population is currently very limited, 3 and the potential theoretical underpinnings of self-compassion as an intervention and/or form of support for this group have not been explored.…”