The lead essay by Williams and colleagues – along with a wealth of thoughtful and insightful commentaries – makes clear that informal caregivers (friends, family members and even neighbours) are a critical resource to our healthcare system. Although debate remains on how best to support caregivers, the essays in this issue of Healthcare Papers also make it clear that we could be doing it better...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this article was to compare the costs and cost-effectiveness of the two most prominent types of case management in the Netherlands (intensive case management and linkage models) against no access to case management (control group) for people with already diagnosed dementia and their informal caregivers. METHODS The economic evaluation was conducted from a societal ...

BACKGROUND This study explored the effects of an integrated care model for the frail elderly on informal caregivers' satisfaction with care and support services. METHODS A 62-item instrument was developed and deployed in an evaluative before/after study using a quasi-experimental design and enrolling a control group. The definitive study population (n=63) consisted mainly of female informal c...

BACKGROUND In complying with required life style changes Heart Failure (HF) patients often depend on their partners. However providing care may cause burden and affect the health of these partners. The aim of this study was to investigate determinants of caregiver burden in order to identify caregivers who are at risk. METHODS Using a cross-sectional design, caregiver burden and potential det...

This randomized clinical trial tested a new self-directed educational intervention to improve caregiver competence to create a safer home environment for persons with dementia living in the community. The sample included 108 patient/caregiver dyads: the intervention group (n = 60) received the Home Safety Toolkit (HST), including a new booklet based on health literacy principles, and sample saf...

OBJECTIVE Many stroke survivors experience poststroke spasticity and the related inability to perform basic activities, which necessitates patient management and treatment, and exerts a considerable burden on the informal caregiver. The current study aims to estimate burden, productivity loss, and indirect costs for caregivers of stroke survivors with spasticity. METHODS Internet survey data ...

BACKGROUND Clinicians and researchers often have to rely on information from caregivers to assess patients with advanced cancer. This study aims to assess the validity (using patients' assessment as the gold standard) of caregiver reports of patient concerns and the roles of caregiver burden and positivity. METHODS A total of 64 advanced cancer patient and informal caregiver dyads were recrui...

OBJECTIVE The ageing of the population is expected to lead to an increase in the prevalence of dementia. Providing support to informal caregivers is essential to promote their wellbeing and prevent serious caregiver burden. The aim of the study is to investigate whether differences occur between the initial and later stages of dementia in terms of (1) problems experienced by informal caregivers...

BACKGROUND Stroke is one of the major causes of loss of independence, decreased quality of life and mortality among elderly people. About half of the elderly stroke patients discharged after rehabilitation in a nursing home still experience serious impairments in daily functioning one year post stroke, which can lead to difficulties in picking up and managing their social life. The aim of this ...

Background Agitation is a common feature of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Previous research indicates that specific symptoms impact caregiver burden in these conditions, but the impact of agitation on caregiver experience is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to characterise caregiver burden in providers of informal care for patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia who e...