What do we know about older former carers? Key issues and themes

Abstract

Despite a significant growth in the number older former family carers they remain largely invisible in carer-related research and literature. To begin to address this deficit, a fourstage literature review was conducted to identify existing knowledge about older former carers. Narrative synthesis of the findings yielded five themes -the concept of 'older former carer', the legacies of caring, influences on the legacies of caring, conceptualising post-caring, and support services for older former carers. Critical analysis of these findings suggests that existing evidence has a number of strengths. It highlights the terminological and conceptual confusion in the field, identifies the profound financial and health-related legacies older former carers' experience, the factors which shape these legacies and some of the complexities of bereavement older former carers face. The support needs of older former carers are also illuminated. However, the field is characterised by key weaknesses. The evidence base is fragmented and uneven. In part this reflects lack of definitional consensus and in part the fact that there is much more evidence about some sub-groups, such as carers of relatives admitted to a care home, than others. Methodology-related weaknesses include small sample sizes and a focus on a single, often condition-specific, group of older former carers. An overarching criticism relates to the narrow conceptual /theoretical purview. As post-caring tends to be viewed as one of the final temporal 'stages' of the carer's 'caregiving career', a bifurcatory model of carer/former carer is created i.e. that a carer actively provides care and a former carer is no longer caring. This constructs being a former carer -namely formerality -as a single fixed state failing to capture its dynamic and shifting nature and constrains the potential of research to generate new knowledge and extend understanding.Key words older former carers, carer research, post-caring, legacies of caring, support needs, knowledge generation What is known about this topic• There is a growing interest in former carers • There is recognition of the growth in the number of older carers What this paper adds• The increase in the number of older carers inevitably means a growth in the number of older former carers and yet this population are largely invisible in carerrelated research and policy • Existing research shows that older former carers experience particular post-caring legacies and have a range of ill-recognised support needs • The current evidence base relating to older former carers is limited by a range of methodological weaknesses and a narrow conceptual scope that constrain the potential of research to generate new knowledge and extend understanding 2

The covid-19 pandemic and care homes for older people in Europe - deaths, damage and violations of human rights

“…This practice has had several negative consequences. Family members often (continue to) provide practical, physical, and psychological care to their relative in the care home (Larkin & Milne, 2017). During the pandemic, this care was no longer available, resulting in many residents receiving lower levels of care and attention; it also disrupted the 'usual rhythm' of care.…”

Yaşlı Bakıcıların Bakım Kariyeri

“…Bakım yörüngeleri yaşamlarının nispeten erken dönemlerinde başlayıp bitenler, yaşam boyunca sosyal ilişkilerini yeniden kurmak, ücretli işgücüne katılmak ve sağlıklarını sürdürmek için bakım yörüngeleri yaşamın sonlarına kadar uzananlara göre daha fazla fırsata sahip olabilirler. Yaşlılık döneminde bakım vermek bu kaynaklara tekrar ulaşmayı kısıtlamaktadır (Larkin & Milne, 2017). Özellikle bakımın kadın ekseninde gelişmesi (Kırışık & Korkmaz-Yaylagül, 2020), bu kuşağın bakım verenlerini kendi ailesel sorumlulukları ve yaşlılarının bakımını üstlenmeleri konusunda yaşanan rol çatışmalarının ve sosyal ilişki kayıplarının ortasında bırakabilmektedir.…”

Associations of discontinuation of care: A longitudinal analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing?

“…For example, carers providing care for multiple individuals simultaneously, where one of the care-recipients is admitted to an institution or passes away may not be recognised as a discontinued carer, as this carer will continue to provide care. Nevertheless, this carer may still need additional support during this difficult time (Larkin & Milne, 2017).…”

“…It is not all carers who follow the above-described trajectories of the caring role, as some do stop providing care, which is the focus of this paper. Larkin and Milne (2017), identified six possible routes of discontinuing care: the care-recipient: (a) dies, (b) is admitted to a hospital, (c) or a hospice (d) or into long-term care, (e) the carerecipient recovers from their health issues, (f) or the care-recipient goes into remission. Unfortunately, it was not possible to obtain…”