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The article discusses individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), during their transition from adolescence to adulthood, focusing on caregiver burden associated with these diseases in Great Britain. It addresses gaps in family support programs for people with neurodevelopmental disorders including depression, anxiety, and inappropriate behavior.

The article discusses the difficulties experienced by young carers and how to develop and strengthen their caregiver skills and experience. It says that young carers are children, adolescents, and younger members of the family below the age of 25 who has become the primary caregiver of the family and takes adult responsibilities in managing the family due to parental absence. It says that due to their young age, most young carers experience psychological and physical stress in their lives, social isolation from their peers, and educational delays. However, many young carers also see positive outcomes of their role like heightened sense of self-worth, satisfaction from caregiving tasks, and belief that they are more mature.

In an effort to identify the essential ingredients of medical family therapy, a content analysis of 15 peer-reviewed case studies in medical family therapy was conducted. The case studies were published from 1996 to 2007 in Families, Systems, & Health. Through a qualitative content analysis, three main themes emerged that describe the essence of the practice of medical family therapy: (1) The patient's multisystemic experience of disease, (2) treatment is about caring, not just caregiving, and (3) elevating the patient as collaborator in the care team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of the relationship between individuals with dementia and their family caregivers has an impact on important clinical outcomes for both. It is unclear, however, how quality of relationship (QoR) affects caregivers' desire to place their relative in a nursing home. We examined the association of QoR with caregivers' desire to institutionalize (DTI), using a sample of 237 male and female caregivers of community-dwelling individuals with dementia. Findings revealed an interaction between QoR and caregiver gender, with stronger DTI significantly associated with lower QoR for male but not female caregivers. Health care providers should recognize poor QoR as a risk factor for institutionalization, especially among male caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In recent years advanced technologies, such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS), allow for tracking of human spatial activity and provide the ability to intervene to manage that activity. The purpose of this study is to examine the issue of who should decide about the use of electronic tracking using GPS for people with dementia. Methods: Based on quantitative data collected from 296 participants comprising cognitively intact elderly, family caregivers of people with dementia, social workers, other professionals, and social work students, study participants were asked to rate nine different potential decision-makers to make this decision. Results: The results show that figures inside the family, particularly the spouse or the most involved family caregiver, were perceived more important in the decision-making process than figures outside the family, whereas the person with dementia was ranked third in the order of the figures. Since the decision to use GPS for tracking raises the ethical dilemma of personal safety versus autonomy and privacy of people with dementia, the findings seem to indicate that the reluctance of professional caregivers to assist family caregivers to make this decision is experienced as frustrating. Conclusions: The findings imply that in order to reach a balance between the wishes and interests of both people with dementia and their family caregivers, there is a need for more active involvement of the professional caregivers to facilitate the family decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of 'scale' and usage of this term have raised much debate within human geography over the past 25 years. At the same time, these very debates have developed the concept dramatically by offering new considerations of its use. Building on notions that scale is experienced and that scalar concepts offer a vocabulary to articulate complex phenomena, this analysis aims to explore the relevance of scale as an explanatory concept used by informal family caregivers and front-line health and social care workers when discussing their experiences with a Canadian social programme, the Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB). The goal of the CCB is to provide income assistance and job security to those who take temporary leave from employment to care for a terminally ill family member. As part of a larger evaluative study on the CCB, semi-structured interviews with 57 family caregivers and 50 front-line health and social care workers from across Canada were conducted and transcripts were thematically analysed. Emerging from analysis of both datasets was the common usage of scalar concepts, specifically 'region', 'community' and 'home'. Respondents employed these scalar categories to reference both differences and relationships in highly spatial and comparative ways, and also to organise and articulate their thoughts in ways meaningful to them and their lives in place. Based upon these scalar categories and issues highlighted by respondents, particular spatial challenges and inequities are illuminated, and implications for the CCB and its administration are identified. These findings provide insight into the complex ways family caregivers and front-line health and social care workers make sense of their world and more specifically, understand how federal programmes like the CCB operate. By considering how such programmes are experienced in scalar ways, knowledge can be maximised and thus, informed decision-makers can more effectively meet the needs of programme users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Although multi-systemic perspectives of adolescent mothers have been examined in the literature, very little has taken a broader perspective of the young grandmothers who have taken on the primary or shared care-giving role of the grandchild. This paper takes a multidimensional approach to looking at the contextual factors affecting these young grandmothers using Bronfenbrenner's ecological model. Examining young grandparents based on an ecological model may be useful for marriage and family therapists who encounter a family in which an adolescent is expecting or has given birth to a child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review, we summarize and critically evaluate the major empirical, conceptual, and theoretical directions that studies of aging families have taken during the .first decade of the 21st century. The field has benefited from an expanded perspective based on four overarching themes: (a) complexity in emotional relations, (b) diversity in family structures and households, (c) interdependence of family roles and functions, and (d) patterns and outcomes of caregiving. Although research on aging families has advanced theory and applied innovative statistical techniques, the literature has fallen short in fully representing diverse populations and in applying the broadest set of methodological tools available. We discuss these and other frontier areas of scholarship in light of the aging of baby boomers and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK, community care has led to more complex relationships for mental health nurses. They need to respect the rights of service users to confidentiality while also respecting the rights of family caregivers to information that directly affects them. An unsatisfactory situation has arisen in which utilitarian and legally driven motives have seen family caregivers' interests become subsidiary to those of service users and providers. An ethical case is made for sharing information with family caregivers, even against the wishes of service users. Through the use of a conceptual framework based on elements proposed by Thiroux - value of life, goodness or rightness, justice or fairness, truth-telling or honesty, and individual freedom - the article concludes that there is an ethical argument for sharing some information with family caregivers and that nurses should respect caregivers' rights through their actions. Nurses' actions are a commitment to seeking what is 'good' by making judgements based on what matters. It is argued that people and their relationships matter more than strict adherence to laws and codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Previous research has largely focused on the lived experience either of those who have fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) or their spousal carers. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of both those with FMS and their spousal carers. Methods: Participants were aged between 38 and 65 years and all came from the south-west of England. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four women with FMS and their spousal carers, who were interviewed separately. The resultant transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. An overriding theme running throughout was loss of identity, which fed into a sense of isolation. Participants reported feeling isolated from: healthcare professionals, whom they felt they had to convince that they had something ‘real’, and from friends and family because the unpredictability of their symptoms meant that they were less able to plan ahead and often had to pull out of arranged outings. They also felt isolated from their identity because they no longer recognized the person that they once were, and struggled to recognize the person that they had become. As a consequence, the people with FMS and their carers were both engaged in a process of reassessing who they were, now that FMS had become such a large part of their lives. This sense of isolation was evidenced for the carers as well as the people with FMS and is documented in three sub-themes described in the paper: ‘others’ attitudes', ‘invisible illness’ and ‘role’. Conclusion: This study has provided new information regarding the lifeworlds both of people living with FMS and their spousal carers. We identified a number of practical and attitudinal barriers that had led to the diminution of social networks for both members of the couple and have explored the related clinical and theoretical implications of this. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregivers in informal kinship care encounter numerous difficulties when lacking a legal relationship with the children in their care. The de facto custodian guardianship, a concept that is relatively unknown in social work, provides an additional legal option to caregivers by allowing them to present their caregiving history during custody hearings. This article introduces the significance of the de facto concept and provides detailed information on its components and limitations. Recommendations are forwarded for social education and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE. To understand the process and difficulties that Chinese family caregivers experience when making a nursing home placement decision for their loved ones with dementia. DESIGN AND METHODS. Using a grounded theory approach, data were collected through individual interviews with 30 Chinese family caregivers in Taiwan. FINDINGS. A stage-based framework was generated that described how caregivers went through the decision-making process, what specific challenges they encountered within the process, and how they overcame difficulties to reach their decisions. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. By identifying the stages of the decision-making process and various challenges that caregivers experience, clinicians can enhance discussions with caregivers to decrease the decision-making burden. Clinicians might develop family-centered interventions for the decision-making process through the post-placement stage while taking into account cultural influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary. It is not easy for parents to care for a child with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). But we do not know how much effort it actually takes. If we want to help the parents, it is good to understand what it is they need to do and how much time that takes. We asked parents with what basic care tasks they had to help their child. And how much time that took them. We also asked parents if they had help from friends and relatives. We also wanted to know if professionals could really help to make the lives of parents a bit easier. There were 133 parents who answered all those questions. What they told us was important. They said: • Our children are very dependent on us. We have to help them with getting up, getting dressed, eating and drinking, and so on. And that will never stop, even if they grow older. • Some of us still have to get up night after night to look after the child. This is very tiring. To be up every night is really a burden. • We learn to live with the needs that our children have. It is more difficult for younger parents than it is for parents with an older child. • The support of professionals from special educational centre’s is very important for us. To us, it is even more important than help from friends. Raising children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities is considered to be extremely difficult for parents, but figures on the content and amount of time needed for the caring task of parents is lacking. Data on what the caring task actually means (in terms of amount of time and type of task) is needed to be able to understand the parents’ support needs. A questionnaire was developed in order to collect information about both the caring task and the level of parental burden concerning health-related tasks and basic need tasks such as eating and drinking, dressing and sleeping. Furthermore, the level of support parents experience from friends, relatives and special services is included and the use of special aids and resources is taken into account. A total of 133 parents completed the questionnaire. Most children are dependent on them for meeting all their basic needs and have several health problems. Significant relationships were found between the number of times parents have to get up at night and the level of burden at night, and between the days a child stayed in hospital and the level of parental burden. The results indicate that the caring task places heavy demands on parents. Professional support is alleviating and extremely important for parents. The caring task is not necessarily indicative for the subjective burden parents experience. Parents of young children express higher levels of burden than parents of older children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being a close relative brings with it a large number of consequences, with the life situation changing over time. The aim of this study was to illuminate the experiences of being a middle-aged close relative of a person who has suffered a stroke 6 months after being discharged from a medical rehabilitation clinic. Narrative interviews were conducted with nine middle-aged close relatives and analysed using a content analysis with a latent approach. The analysis revealed that being close to someone who had suffered a stroke 6 months after discharge meant; a struggling for control and a renewal of family life in the shadow of suffering and hope. The middle-aged close relatives began to perceive the changed reality. They were struggling to take on something new, become reconciled and find a balance in their family life. Their ability to work, relief from caring concerns and having support and togetherness with others seemed to be essential for the close relatives in their efforts to manage their life situation and maintain their well-being. Having reached the ‘halfway point’ in their lives and still with half of their life in front of them created worries. They felt dejected about their changed relationships and roles, experience a sense of loss of shared child responsibilities, a negative impact on their marital relationships and sexual satisfaction. They felt trapped in a caring role and they worried about how to endure in the future. The middle-aged close relatives’ experiences were of being alone and neglected, in an arduous and complex life situation filled with loss and grief. The findings highlights that health professionals need to see and listen to the close relatives’ experiences of transition in order to provide appropriate support adjusted to their varying needs during a time of renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Caring for a relative with dementia is linked with negative psychological and physical consequences for the caregiver. The number of studies analyzing the influence of specific values and thoughts on caregivers' distress remains sparse. Objectives and method: The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of both familism dimensions and dysfunctional thoughts specific to caregiving on depression in a sample of 334 dementia caregivers. Results: The results of this study suggest that familism can have positive influences on caregiving distress when the family is perceived as a source of support. However, the dimensions of familism pertaining to a strong adherence to values regarding both feelings of obligation to provide support as well as behaviors and attitudes that should be followed by different members of a family were linked with caregivers' distress through their influence on dysfunctional thoughts. Conclusion: This study provides support for the importance of conceptualizing familism as a multidimensional construct with both positive and negative effects on caregivers' emotional distress and suggests that familism affects emotional distress through dysfunctional thoughts rather than through burden appraisals. Clinical implications include attending to both the positive and negative effects of familism values and the potential value of targeting dysfunctional thoughts in cognitive-behavioral interventions with caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We examined the associations among risk factors (e.g., behavioral problems, family conflict) and outcomes (e.g., overload, depression) commonly used in the research literature in order to inform the design of caregiver assessment and interventions. Methods: A sample of 67 caregivers caring for a family member in the middle stages of dementia were assessed on 15 risk factors and six outcome measures. Results: Risk factors were at best only moderately correlated with one another, suggesting their relative independence. Outcome measures showed somewhat higher correlations with one another, but participants varied in terms of the number and type of outcomes that were elevated. Multivariate results showed that risk factors differed in their contribution to models, predicting various outcomes. Implications: Caregivers possess unique combinations of risk factors and outcomes that suggest the need for individualized or tailored interventions. Designing an effective caregiver assessment and corresponding targeted intervention requires careful planning and selection of appropriate risk factors and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Despite a rapid increase in studies dealing with dementia caregivers in Europe, a valid German version of the most widely used measurement of caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview) has not yet been published. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the German Zarit Burden Interview (G-ZBI). Method: Twenty-eight community-dwelling older couples with the husband suffering from dementia and the wife being the primary caregiver participated in this study. The G-ZBI and related constructs were assessed in order to test for reliability and construct validity. Results: The G-ZBI revealed psychometric properties comparable with those of the original instrument and empirically validated translations. Results demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.92) and good validity due to strong correlations with caregiver life satisfaction and depression, as well as patients' dependency, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and dementia severity. Conclusion: The psychometric qualities of the G-ZBI indicate that it is both a reliable and valid instrument to assess caregiver burden and to detect highly stressed individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Expressed emotion is a construct that has been used for the past three decades to describe family members’ criticism, hostility and emotional involvement with a mentally ill relative within the context of family interactions and caregiving. In Western countries this construct is used as an outcome measure of interventions for families of people with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, but the use of this construct in Chinese populations is somewhat limited. Objective: To test the reliability and validity of a refined Chinese version of the 52-item Level of Expressed Emotion Scale (LEE). Methods: A convenience sample of 405 outpatients with psychotic disorders in Hong Kong and one of their family caregivers were recruited. Patients were asked to complete a set of questionnaires twice over a 6-month period, including the Chinese version of the LEE, the Specific Level of Functioning scale and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; while their caregivers completed the Family Assessment Device twice and a demographic data sheet at recruitment. This study was aimed at establishing the internal consistency, reproducibility, responsiveness, and construct validity of the LEE. Results: Results indicated that the refined 50-item Chinese version of the LEE and its subscales demonstrated a high internal consistency and satisfactory correlations with patient and family functioning scores. Principal component analysis revealed the presence of four factors, explaining 70.8% of total variance and indicating high factor loadings as well as item-factor inter-correlations. The Chinese version not only indicated a satisfactory reproducibility in assessing change in patients’ symptom severity and family functioning but also showed an adequate responsiveness to the changes in patients’ symptoms over 6 months, especially for detecting symptom improvement. Discussion: The findings of the psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the LEE established its potential as a research instrument in measuring the level of expressed emotion of family members as perceived by Chinese patients with psychotic disorders. Further testing of its psychometric properties is recommended, using larger samples from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and mental illnesses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The primary focus of this study is to compare the effectiveness of three distinct intervention techniques in relieving some of the stress experienced by midlife daughters' caregiving for their frail mothers. The three techniques are: (a) a home-based literature “tip of the week” group, (b) a caregiver's support group, and (c) a creative-movement group. Based on a review of caregiving literature, no other studies have utilized a home-based literature intervention or a creative-movement intervention with midlife daughters providing informal care to frail mothers. As part of the weekly assessment evaluation, participants were asked to rate how helpful the previous week's session was with respect to five mental health variables: irritability, depression, anxiety, stress, and concentration. Overall, the support-based group had higher average scores for each of the five mental health variables and the highest overall mental health score. Future research and promising applications of future intervention programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To describe the burden experienced by family caregivers of older adults with depression and to examine the positive effects on caregivers of treating late-life depression. DESIGN: Two-phase treatment study for major depressive disorder (MDD) that included 6 weeks of open treatment with antidepressant medication for all older patients followed by 16 weeks of randomized treatment for patients who were partial responders, comparing a combination of medication and interpersonal psychotherapy with medication alone. SETTING: Primary care and university late-life mental health research clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 60 and older participating in a randomized trial for treatment of MDD who enrolled in a family caregiver study and their caregiver (N=244 dyads). MEASUREMENTS: Improvement in patient symptoms during open treatment (lower scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD)) and remission of depression during randomized treatment (3 consecutive weekly HRSD scores of ≤7) were examined as predictors of lower general caregiver burden and burden specific to patient depression. RESULTS: Caregivers reported a moderate to high level of general caregiver burden on average. Change in patient depression during open treatment was associated with significantly decreased depression-specific burden (β=−0.22, P=.001) and a trend toward lower general burden (β=−0.08, P=.08). Caregivers of patients who remitted showed significantly decreased depression-specific burden ( F (1,76)=4.27, P=.04). CONCLUSION: Treatment of late-life depression has benefits that extend to the family members on whom patients depend. Caregiver education and support may strengthen these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe how 3 groups of family caregivers (spouses, daughters, and sons) are affected by the caregiving role. In addition, clinical considerations and interventions for mental health professionals working with these different groups of family caregivers are discussed. A clinical case example is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with multiple sclerosis depend heavily upon their families and other informal carers as they receive limited support from health-care professionals or health-care services. Adopting the carer role results in a life-changing experience, which may bring rewards and challenges to the carer. This paper reviews the research addressing the experiences of carers of people with multiple sclerosis published between 2002 and 2007 building upon an earlier review. The literature suggests that carers have needs across various domains and that spouses/partners have particular needs. Much of the evidence has limited generalizibility although the geographical spread of the evidence indicates considerable consistency of need. The review describes ongoing carer needs which require supportive care and provides the basis for the development and testing of carer interventions for use by health-care professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the literature on family caregiving, care receiving and caregiving are generally treated as distinct constructs, suggesting that informal care and support flow in a unidirectional manner from caregiver to care recipient. Yet, informal care dynamics are fundamentally relational and often reciprocal, and caregiving roles can be complex and overlapping. Objectives: To illustrate ways care dynamics may depart from traditional notions of dyadic unidirectional family caregiving and to stimulate a discussion of the implications of complex relational care dynamics for caregiving science. Approach: Exemplar cases of informal care dynamics were drawn from three ongoing and completed investigations involving persons with serious illness and their family caregivers. The selected cases provide examples of three unique, but not uncommon, care exchange patterns: (a) care dyads who are aging, are chronically ill, and who compensate for one another's deficits in reciprocal relationships; (b) patients who present with a constellation of family members and other informal caregivers, as opposed to one primary caregiver; and (c) family care chains whereby a given individual functions as a caregiver to one relative or friend and care recipient to another. Conclusions: These cases illustrate such phenomena as multiple caregivers, shifting and shared caregiving roles, and care recipients as caregivers. As caregiving science enters a new era of complexity and maturity, there is a need for conceptual and methodological approaches that acknowledge, account for, and support the complex, web-like nature of family caregiving configurations. Research that contributes to, and is informed by, a broader understanding of the reality of family caregiving will yield findings that carry greater clinical relevance than has been possible previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses research into factors that contribute to burden on caregivers for people with either an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She addresses the emotional and social impact of ADHD and ASD symptoms on families of children with the diseases, as well as notes the different challenges for each disease. She comments on the transition into adulthood for individuals with ADHD or ASD.

This article discusses care of the elderly in American families. Research on such caregiving has concluded that intergenerational caregiving can be a very challenging situation for the entire family, and families are the most effective source of support for older family members. Statistics show that there will be an increase in the number of older people who will require care and this circumstance will result in an increase in both intergenerational and multigenerational caregiving. The article notes that the most prevalent form of multigenerational caregiving has grandparents caring for grandchildren under the age of 18.

The article focuses on the role of an oncology nurse in the care of a family member. It cites the experiences of Kristen Baileys and Margaret Bevans, both members of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), who have been involved with their own family's oncologic care. Baileys and Bevans acknowledged that a good working relationship with the healthcare team is important in the treatment process because those who have been caregivers are more dedicated to provide care.

Background and Objectives Recognizing the important role that dementia-specific adult day centers have in maintaining persons with a neurocognitive disorder in their home, this article examines three critical indicators at the time when people first enroll in such a center: cognitive and functional impairment of the enrollee, and burden reported by their family caregivers. We also considered variations in these 3 indicators by race/ethnicity and by the relationship of caregiver to the new enrollee. Research Design and Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected by a nonprofit organization operating 11 dementia-specific adult day centers located on the east coast of Florida. Nursing staff conducted intake interviews with enrollees and their caregivers, and assessed functional status within one month of admission. Instruments included the Zarit Burden Scale and components of the Minimum Data Set: the Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) and 4 measures of functional status. Results On average the cognitive scores of newly enrollees were well-within the range indicated for severe impairment, and these levels did not differ by race/ethnicity. Burden reported by caregivers however differed significantly, with Latinx caregivers reporting the greatest burden and African American/Black caregivers reporting the least. Further, while daughters generally reported higher levels of burden than other family caregivers, Black daughters reported the least. Discussion and Implications Results suggest a need for greater dissemination efforts about adult day programs to the Latinx community, as well as attention to the disparate burden placed upon differing family relationships of caregivers to enrollees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the symposium titled ‘Women in Leadership' organised by Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). It is mentioned that the RANZCP's Pacific Mental Health Forum will be held on May 14, 2018. The article further adds information on RANZCP and Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology's (JSPN) joint conference on experience of carers of patients with mental illness on May 16, 2018.

The author discusses the reports from Canadian Critical Care Trials Group which states the caregiving burden, stress, and health effects among family members discharge from an ICU. He mentions the mental or emotional strain assume by the caregiver. He also mentions the strong emotional bond benefioted by the patient from their family caregiver.

The author reflects on the value of endurance as exemplified by the experiences of family and professional caregivers and patients who need to manage chronic diseases. He opines that both and rich poor people endure pain, misery and suffering as an everyday occurrence which they face and share with their children. It is only moral commitment that keeps doctors, nurses, home health aides and other health professionals continue caring for those who do not get better.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including representation of growth in achievement of students with cognitive disabilities, professional development in students with disabilities, and religious aspects of caregivers' families.

The prevalence of depressive symptoms among family caregivers has been documented as a serious social problem that could threaten the lives of the elderly and their family caregivers. Social support is considered to be a promising remedy for this problem, although a comprehensive examination of the availability and effectiveness of social support that includes both formal and informal support across multiple dimensions remains limited. In addition, little research has been conducted in Japan on gender differences in stress processes. This study tried to fill those gaps by analyzing recent survey data on sons and daughters who are caring for their elderly parents. The results indicate that sons and daughters have similar levels of formal and informal support for daily care and advice, while there are some gender differences in regard to the availability of other types of social support. It was also found that many types of informal support were significantly associated with a lower caregiver burden for daughters, although this was not necessarily the case for formal support. General instrumental support from formal sources was even associated with higher levels of distress. For sons acting as caregivers, daily caregiving support was the only formal support that was significantly associated with their lower level of distress. Issues of formal support are discussed, in order to reduce the psychological burdens borne by sons and daughters who care for their parents at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of supporting caregivers of a family member with dementia, as they are likely to experience anticipatory grief. According to the article, anticipatory grief is a combination of ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief, which are both a hindrance in overcoming their grief. It is stated that professional intervention is necessary in order to avoid worsening of a caregiver's experience.