Caregiver
A caregiver, carer or support worker is a paid or unpaid person who helps an individual with activities of daily living.
[3] Typical duties of a caregiver might include taking care of someone who has a chronic illness or disease; managing medications or talking to doctors and nurses on someone's behalf; helping to bathe or dress someone who is frail or disabled; or taking care of household chores, meals, or processes both formal and informal documentations related to health for someone who cannot do these things alone.
These practices seek to improve a person's quality of life by helping them socialize with others, keep friendships, do hobbies, and enjoy whatever physical exercise is appropriate.
[19] To reduce risk of any major problem, smoke detectors should be put in place and appropriate physical security measures taken for home safety.
In such cases, standard medical advice would be for the caregiver and patient to have conversations with the doctor about the risks and benefits of treatment and to seek options for palliative care or hospice.
[26] At the same time simple measures like talking to people about their interests can improve the quality of life for care home residents living with dementia.
[27][28] People with dementia can become restless or aggressive but treating these behavior changes with antipsychotic drugs is not a preferable option unless the person seems likely to harm themselves or others.
Antipsychotic drugs have undesirable side effects, including increasing risk of diabetes, pneumonia, stroke, disruption of cognitive skill, confusion, and consequently are better avoided when possible.
Alternatives to using these drugs is trying to identify and treat the underlying causes of irritability and anger, perhaps by arranging for the person to spend more time socializing with others or doing exercises.
[23] While feeding tubes can help people gain weight, they carry risks including bleeding, infection, pressure ulcers, and nausea.
Such devices provide an extra layer of security, allowing family members and caregivers to quickly locate the person if they become lost.
Signs of elder abuse can include depression, unusual changes in behavior or appearance, bed sores, and unexplained bruises.
[29] Depending on the situation, a caregiver, patient, and physician may decide to forgo any dietary restrictions such as a low sodium diet and feed the person what they enjoy eating despite the health consequences if that seems preferable and more beneficial over using appetite stimulants.
[32] There are many different factors that may influence self-care, including knowledge and educational background, physical limitations, economic status, culture, and social support, to name a few.
The term "caregiver" can refer to people who take care of someone with a chronic illness or a supporter who influences the self-care behaviors of another person.
A research study performed in Lebanon found that family-centered self-care has the potential to reduce the risk of hospital readmission in patients diagnosed with heart failure.
[36] Additionally, having the support of a family member can motivate patients to perform adequate self-care and increase adherence to their treatment plan.
[34] Specifically, family-focused caregivers providing supportive interventions can help to improve the self-care behaviors of patients with various different diseases.
[40] Supporting research concludes that when caregivers are engaged in provider-patient encounters, patients report higher satisfaction with the clinical experience.
In the case of professional caregivers, it has been well researched and documented in last few decades that this mental strain is much higher than those providing care for family members.
Respite is the service most often requested by family caregivers, yet it is in critically short supply, inaccessible, or unaffordable regardless of the age or disability of the individual needing assistance.
Without respite, not only can families suffer economically and emotionally, caregivers themselves may face serious health and social risks as a result of stress associated with continuous care-giving.
Three fifths of family caregivers age 19-64 surveyed recently by the Commonwealth Fund reported fair or poor health, one or more chronic conditions, or a disability, compared with only one-third of non-caregivers.
In the United States today there are approximately 61.6 million people (referenced above) who are caring at home for family members including elderly parents, and spouses and children with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses.
[52] Caregiving tasks may require 24/7 attention and supervision, which reduces the amount of time participating in other meaningful occupations such as paid work and leisure activities.
[55] Guidance from social workers and occupational therapists has proven beneficial in reducing anxiety and a lower sense of burden among non-paid caregivers.
[53] Occupational therapists provide caregiver training to promote self care and holistic wellness, fall prevention, home modification, and aging in place.
Occupational therapy's underlying framework is based upon participation in meaningful tasks to promote mental, physical and emotional health.
[69] The implication is that since so much personal investment is made in this sector, social programs to increase the efficiency and efficacy of caregivers would bring great benefit to society if they were easy to access and use.
[69] Interviewed in the Green European Journal discussing the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, Mary Mellor described how issues for women had increased due to what she termed 'patriarchy in the home' and 'patriarchy of the wider economy'.
