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Home Help (home + help)
Selected AbstractsFormal support, mental disorders and personal characteristics: a 25-year follow-up study of a total cohort of older peopleHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 2 2003G. Samuelsson PhD Abstract The present study was designed to describe the pattern of long-term formal support received by people with mental disorders, and to investigate the relationship between the medical, psychological and social characteristics of the participants and types of formal support. This study is based on a cohort (n = 192) of people born in 1902 and 1903 in a community in Southern Sweden. The research participants were assessed using interviews, psychological tests and medical examinations. Information was collected about the use of primary healthcare and social services. The first assessment took place when the cohort was aged 67 years, and then on eight further occasions until they were 92. The participation rate ranged from 72% to 100%. During the observation period of 25 years, 53% of people with dementia eventually received both home help and institutional care compared to 34% of people with other psychiatric diagnoses and 12% of people with good mental health. The last group had all physical health problems and/or problems with activities of daily living. However, 35% of the dementia group, 46% with other psychiatric diagnoses and 52% of people with good mental health did not receive any formal support. Males and self-employed people were significantly less likely to use formal support. The institutionalised group reported loneliness significantly more often than the other two groups. In a logistic regression analysis, loneliness, low social class, high blood pressure and low problem-solving ability were predictors of formal support use. People with a mental disorder, including dementia, were significantly more likely to use formal support compared to people with good mental health. Social factors were the main factors predicting formal support. [source] Family Disruption and Support in Later Life: A Comparative Study Between the United Kingdom and ItalyJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 4 2007Cecilia Tomassini Global population aging has led to considerable disquiet about future support for frail older people; however, the determinants are poorly understood. Moreover, most industrialized societies have witnessed considerable changes in family behavior (e.g., rises in divorce and declining fertility). Such trends may have adversely affected the support systems of older people; nonetheless, only recently has research begun to address this issue. Employing data from the longitudinal British Household Panel Survey (1991,2003) and the 1998 Indagine Multiscopo sulle Famiglie "Famiglia, soggetti sociali e condizione dell'infanzia," we investigated the association between family disruptions due to divorce, separation, or death and three key dimensions of informal support: (i) frequency of contact with unrelated friends (among all respondents aged 65 years and over); (ii) co-residence with children (among unmarried mothers aged 65 years and over); and (iii) regular or frequent help received from children (e.g., household assistance including care) among parents aged 65 years and over. In addition, we conducted a comparative investigation of the relationship between family disruptions and the use of home care services (i.e., health visitor or district nurse; home help; meals-on-wheels) among parents aged 65 years and over. Our findings suggest that in a culture like the U.K.'s, where relations between kin are primarily influenced by individualistic values, support in later life appears to be primarily related to need, whereas in societies with a strong familistic culture (like Italy's), support is received irrespective of the older person's individual characteristics. [source] Impact of fatigue on everyday life among older people with chronic heart failureAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Eva-Britt Norberg Aim:,To explore the relationship between fatigue and performance of activities of daily living (ADL), use of assistive devices, home-help service and community mobility services in older clients with chronic heart failure. Methods:,A cross-sectional descriptive study of 40 patients was performed using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, the Staircase of ADL, Assessment of Motor and Process Skills and a demographic checklist. Results:,We found high levels of general fatigue, physical fatigue and reduced activity. Greater fatigue was associated significantly with increased dependence and decreased quality of ADL, but not for shopping. Use of community mobility services and assistive devices was frequent and home help less frequent. Use of assistive devices and home help were associated significantly with greater fatigue, but not the use of community mobility services. Conclusions:,Fatigue had a negative impact on ADL mainly from physical rather than from mental causes. Improved energy conservation strategies to reduce the consequences of fatigue are needed. [source] The cost of cataract patients awaiting surgeryACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 6 2000Ulf Stenevi ABSTRACT. Purpose: To describe the cost for society services caused by the patients awaiting surgery for one year in Gothenburg, 1997. Methods: From a waiting list of 1458 patients awaiting cataract surgery 250 randomly selected patients were interviewed. The structured questions focused on community services, such as home help, subsidised travel by taxi, medical treatment at home, visual aids, hospital stay and medical consultation, caused by the cataract symptoms. Results: The total cost for the community for the 1 458 patients awaiting surgery was an estimated SEK 5 200 000. Hospital stay and home help were the largest parts of this community expense. Conclusion: The direct costs for society for one year caused by 1 458 patients awaiting cataract surgery with a mean waiting time of 9.8 months was approximately the same as operating 800 patients (eyes). [source] | ||||||||||