Examining caregiving issues from a multigenerational, family life cycle perspective, this volume deals with the broad spectrum of chronic illnesses that necessitate family caregiving throughout the lifespan and discusses responses to these challenges by both caregiving families and caregiving systems. Part One addresses the caregiving paradigm and the relationship of family caregiving research to family life studies. Part Two examines conceptual aspects of caregiving, ranging from the expansion of the caregiving paradigm, caregiving processes and tasks, to the positive aspects of caregiving. Part Three emphasizes how family caregivers are affected by the connection (or lack of it) to macro-level systems.
Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.
Published in cooperation with the Center for Practice Innovations, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University Increased life expectancy, the deinstitutionalization of persons with mental illness, the rise of home health care, and advances in medical technology have resulted in greater numbers of dependent people requiring care by family members. The frail elderly, the chronically mentally ill, and the physically disabled are examples of such groups who now receive their daily care in the community. How do families accept the burden of this care? What are the physical and emotional demands of such caregiving? Are the families prepared to assume this role? Family Caregiving Across the Lifespan considers the broad spectrum of chronic illnesses that necessitate family caregiving throughout the lifespan and expands the caregiving paradigm by including in its focus both members of the caregiving dyad and significant non-family caregivers. It also explores the social context in which care is provided--an entire section of the volume is devoted to discussions of the interface between informal and formal caregivers and society at large. Among the other subjects this volume addresses are the negative consequences of family caregiving, the value of providing support to caregivers, and caregivers of persons living with AIDS. Family Caregiving Across the Lifespan is important reading for those in social work, nursing, family medicine, and clinical psychology. "Family Caregiving Across the Lifespan represents a significant milestone in the continuing maturation of this vital area of long-term care. The title is an understatement of the authors′ accomplishments. . . .Rather than offering narrow boxes or labels, the book invites the reader to join in a broadened perspective on caregiving so that it can more fully reflect the richness of the lives of all involved. . . .For those who encounter Family Caregiving Across the Lifespan as part of their continuing study of caregiving, the book provides the integrating milestone of caregiving literature." --Journal of Case Management "This volume is a useful compendium of articles on family caregiving. The fourteen chapters in this volume address many important topics in family caregiving. One of the book′s major contributions is its clarification that family caregiving to frail or chronically ill people has no age limitation, although there are unique issues at different points in the development of individuals and families. The book has exceptional merit. It expands our understanding of family caregiving, provides important ideas for future research, offers research findings that enhance our understanding of family care, and presents a very useful review of the literature. This book would be a beneficial addition to the library of all researchers in the area of caregiving. They will discover worthwhile conceptualizations and gain new insights that can inform their research. Practitioners should also benefit from this collection. The chapters addressing interaction between forma land informal caregivers should give practitioners a deeper understanding of how to be more effective in dealing with informal caregivers and care recipients." -Ageing & Society "One paper [in this volume] deserves particular notice because it attempts to do what many of the authors feel is most critical in caregiving research but also most difficult, namely, to analyze the effectiveness of caregiving, the effect of provision of care on elder health outcomes. This is an important and original conceptualization of the problem..." -Steven M. Albert, Contemporary Gerontology "This book is both unique and valuable because it embraces Brody′s observation that family caregiving is not limited to a specific segment of the life span. Moreover, the book is not limited to filial caregiving, but entertains an impressive variety of contexts of family caregiving. . . . This book will be a valuable text in graduate-level courses." --Journal of Marriage and the Family
Here is a major new volume for practitioners, researchers, and those concerned with future policies to promote the welfare of children and families. The patterns of support and the ability of family members to care for each other have changed along with the problems for the health and functioning of families. In Families as Nurturing Systems, respected scholars examine the new and emerging directions in the design and implementation of family resources and support programs. They describe and analyze a wide range of program models in the areas of prevention, social support, family resource, and empowerment that have been implemented in schools, the Afro-American church, early intervention programs, the workplace, and the public policy arena, reflecting the needs of families at different stages in the family life cycle.
Mainstream gerontological scholarship has taken little heed of people ageing with disability, and they have also been largely overlooked by both disability and ageing policies and service systems. The Handbook on Ageing with Disability is the first to pull together knowledge about the experience of ageing with disability. It provides a broad look at scholarship in this developing field and across different groups of people with disability in order to form a better understanding of commonalities across groups and identify unique facets of ageing within specific groups. Drawing from academic, personal, and clinical perspectives, the chapters address topics stemming from how the ageing with disability experience is framed, the heterogeneity of the population ageing with disability and the disability experience, issues of social exclusion, health and wellness, frailty, later life, and policy contexts for ageing with disability in various countries. Responding to the need to increase access to knowledge in this field, the Handbook provides guideposts for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers about what matters in providing services, developing programmes, and implementing policies that support persons ageing with long-term disabilities and their families.
Most scholars do not consider the long-term nature of caregiving, but rather focus on a specific developmental period (e.g., old age) or a specific disability (e.g., cancer). Yet the most important lessons about caregiving may occur at any age, regardless of disabilities or other limitations. Caregiving is a lifelong process. It begins in a mother’s womb, continues throughout the lifespan, and ends after death. Caregiving Across the Lifespan emphasizes caregiving as a process that occurs throughout one’s life. It discusses infant care, the developmental needs of children and adolescents, the many caregiving issues in adulthood and mid-life, and finally end-of-life care and bereavement. Key coverage includes: Examining caregiving issues across a developmental perspective. Caregiving from infancy through early childhood through end of life. Mid-life and multigenerational bonds and responsibilities. Caregiver identity in older adults. Family caregiving at the end of life. This must-have volume offers a wealth of insights and ideas for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students across the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and education policy makers.
As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a health care workforce that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs. Retooling for an Aging America calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. The book also recommends that Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides. Educators and health professional groups can use Retooling for an Aging America to institute or increase formal education and training in geriatrics. Consumer groups can use the book to advocate for improving the care for older adults. Health care professional and occupational groups can use it to improve the quality of health care jobs.
This textbook provides nurses, allied health and social care professionals with the background knowledge necessary to support individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. It is a unique and viable resource which is particularly timely, as recent decades have seen a significant change in the demographics and associated care and support needs of this population. The textbook is laid into four sections to provide a logical structure for the content with chapters developing key topic areas relevant to the field. The introductory section sets the overall context for the book and considers the importance of developing an understanding of intellectual disability as a core concept identifying philosophies and models of service that underpin health and social care across the lifespan. Communication as a basis for caring and the overall concept of person-centred caring in a multidisciplinary context is considered. The second section explores key concepts from birth to adulthood exploring the nature of intellectual disability, the child with intellectual disability and other related neurodevelopmental conditions. The third section explores adulthood to older age and considers specific health care needs, understanding behaviour and other fundamental concepts including mental health, ageing and palliative care. The fourth and final section explores the integration of health and social care addressing such issues as supporting and enabling families, education, employment, and sexuality and relationships. Edited by experienced and widely respected professionals, this textbook is written by international practitioners, educators and researchers who all play critical roles in working with individuals with intellectual disability and their families.
This book provides introductory coverage of growth and development throughout the lifespan. The content emphasizes normal aspects as well as the unique problems and health promotion needs of each age and stage of development. It features a strong health promotion theme structured around Healthy People 2020 objectives. - Lifespan coverage from prenatal development to death helps students integrate concepts related to normal changes in each stage of the life cycle. - Coverage of current research and trends in health care provide readers with the most up-to-date, accurate information. - Health promotion and disease prevention, including Healthy People 2020 objectives, are highlighted throughout the book. - Cultural content is highlighted throughout the book and in new Chapter 3: Cultural Considerations in Health Care to encourage students to consider cultural implications at every stage of development. - Separate chapter on advanced old age and geriatrics (Chapter 14) discuss the theories, physiological changes, and psychological aspects of aging; health promotion and maintenance; and the role of health care providers in caring for the geriatric patient. All of this helps students understand how to maintain quality of life and promote health in advanced old age. - Teaching techniques for every developmental stage are part of a consistent chapter format and provide age-appropriate patient education tips. - Consistent chapter organization for each stage of growth and development makes information easy to access. - Critical Thinking scenarios and questions appear at the end of each chapter to help students consider all variables when planning care across the lifespan. - Student learning features include Objectives, Key Terms, Key Points, and Review Questions. - Appendix A includes the FDA's Recommended Child and Adult Immunization Schedules, providing essential health promotion information. - NEW Appendix B provides a Multilingual Glossary of Symptoms to enhance students' awareness of culturally sensitive care. - Glossary includes definitions of Key Terms and additional terms help students review concepts and terminology at a glance. - Bibliography is organized by chapter at the end of the book to facilitate additional research and study.
