Caring for People with a Mental Disability at Home: Australian Carers’ Perceptions of Service Provision

Vecchio, Nerina; Stevens, Stella; Cybinski, Patricia Janina

doi:10.1007/s10597-007-9111-x

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 10 publications

(10 reference statements)

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“…What they were agreed upon was that trying to get help and advice for themselves was ‘an absolute nightmare’, or at the very least, ‘an uphill struggle’. A general lack of support, compared to that received by carers of other people with disabilities, has been reported elsewhere, for example, by Australian carers (Vecchio et al. 2008).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 75%

Partners in care?: views and experiences of carers from a cohort study of the early implementation of the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003

Ridley

Hunter

Rosengard³

2010

Health &Amp; Social Care in the Community

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Carers are seen as legitimate stakeholders in wider policy processes and increasingly as 'co-producers' and key providers of care. Mental health carers, however, especially those caring for relatives subject to compulsory care and treatment, often feel overlooked and marginalised, caring in complex circumstances with little or no professional support. The Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 (MHCT Act) implemented in 2005 aspired to change this for the better. This article focuses specifically on findings from seven focus groups and 10 individual interviews with 33 carers from three Health Board areas and the State Hospital in Scotland. Interviews were conducted at two stages during 2007 and 2008 as part of a wider study. Participating carers were supporting relatives who were under different compulsory measures and so had experience of new procedures under the MHCT Act. The data were gathered as part of a cohort study exploring service users', carers' and professionals' early experiences of the Act's implementation. A topic guide was used to explore the impact of compulsion on carers; the 'Named Person' role; Mental Health Tribunals; the principles underpinning the MHCT Act; and suggestions for improving the law. The study found that new provisions, in particular the Named Person role and Mental Health Tribunals, had resulted in positive change. However, many carers still felt isolated and unsupported. They remained critical of the lack of consultation and involvement at both individual and collective levels. Few were aware of their right to a carer's assessment and many were sceptical that this would make any difference. Acknowledging the study's limitations, we discuss the implications for practice in light of broader policy agendas of personalisation, recovery, recognition for carers and promotion of more community-based mental health services.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 75%

Partners in care?: views and experiences of carers from a cohort study of the early implementation of the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003

Ridley

Hunter

Rosengard³

2010

Health &Amp; Social Care in the Community

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“…Family caregivers who participate in support groups tend to have relatives with more chronic and severe forms of mental illness, such as schizophrenia (Gidron et al 1990;Norton et al 1993). Moreover, greater severity and longer duration of the illness are also predictors of lower caregiver satisfaction with services (Stengard et al 2000;Vecchio et al 2008). Thus, family caregivers who participate in support groups tend to have family members with more severe mental health disorders, are inclined to experience a higher level of burden, and are likely to be less satisfied with services.…”

Section: Limitations Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of Caregiver Satisfaction with Mental Health Services

Perreault

Rousseau

Provencher

et al. 2011

Community Ment Health J

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The objective of this study is to examine the relative contribution of three main factors (characteristics of services and service providers, characteristics of patients and caregivers, and impact of psychiatric illness) to caregiver satisfaction with services. Results of this study are based on the responses of 154 family caregivers of individuals with mental illnesses in Quebec, and indicate that these aspects play a predictive role in caregiver satisfaction with services. A multiple regression model explained 42% of the variance in satisfaction. Collaboration with professionals is the key determinant in the model, as it contributes more than any other variable to satisfaction. Results demonstrate the importance of obtaining a better understanding of caregivers' satisfaction with services in order to increase their involvement in community integration.

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“…The perception of inadequate service assistance and unmet care needs of informal caregivers is greater among those caring for relatives with mental disabilities compared to those caring for relatives with physical disabilities (Vecchio et al, 2009(Vecchio et al, , 2008. Individuals with a mental disability require a different set of services to allow them to participate in the community and conduct their activities of daily living (Williams and Doessel, 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%