subject: End of Life Care by Proxy: Empirical Research Findings – The Need for and Potential of Family Care Systems [print this page] End of Life Care by Proxy: Empirical Research Findings The Need for and Potential of Family Care Systems
A high proportion of the stakeholders claimed that enabling support systems (aids and equipment, respite and day care, shared care packages) would encourage family caregivers to continue care giving to their older relatives. They thought that aids and equipment would reduce dependency levels, accidents, falls and potential deterioration in health amongst the family caregivers. Day and respite care would enable carers to have breaks from care and increase their commitment to continuing care for their older relatives. Offering carers respite care would bring about shared responsibilities between the social service and the family, enabling the State to concentrate on the commissioning of other services, while the family take a lead responsibility to offer care for their older relatives.
Reflecting on assessment of needs, the study revealed contrasting views amongst the three groups. A high proportion of the service users and the family caregivers felt that families are best placed to carry out needs assessment rather than social workers. They said that they know the service user and their needs better, and would be able to draw up a flexible care plan that would accommodate an holistic need for their older relatives. Some argued that social workers do not have enough time to spend with the cared for person to obtain the in-depth information necessary to prepare a wide ranging care package. In contrast the majority of staff and councillors thought that social workers are professionally trained and have wide ranging practice based knowledge, skills and experiences to meet older people needs, in line with legislation and availability of resources. Some stated that family members lack basic knowledge and skill and their involvement might encourage potential abuse and poor quality of care for older people.
In terms of a payment to family care assessors and caregivers, the study found contrasting views amongst the stakeholders. A large number of the service users and family caregivers felt that family care assessors and caregivers should be paid. For them a payment would help them maintain their lifestyle and at the same time assist their older relatives with their care. A payment on the other hand would otherwise act as an incentive and that could attract families who would not have thought about offering care to their older relatives. For some of them the payment that they receive would be used to buy extra care to support themselves in their caring role, as well as giving them the time to undertake other activities in order to support their nuclear or reconstituted families. Yet a high proportion of the staff and councillors thought that a payment to family care assessors/caregivers is not the best preposition with which to redesign the welfare system, in line with the 21st century community care for older people. What is needed is joint investment between the welfare institutions (e.g. health, housing, Works and Pensions) to tackle the new demand for care from older people (Ugwumadu 2011).
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