Symptoms And Types Of Neurological Disorders

Throughout this essay I will share the reasons I have found for there being difficulties and also rewards of being a carer for a family member. ‘A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to care for family or friends who could not manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.’ (Carers Trust) I will attempt to use my course materials to draw on the experiences of Ann Walker who cares for her elderly step father Angus who has developed Parkinsons’ disease. Firstly I will look at some of the following difficulties that I have identified and due to the limitations of this study I will then briefly discuss the

The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate understanding of long term conditions and palliative care. Nursing care in general entails holistic care and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, whether sick or well (Royal College of Nursing, (RCN) 2007). Better management of lifelong conditions has been the priority of the National Health Service since the 1990s. When long term conditions are managed well in the community, patients’ can live a quality life without visiting hospital frequently (RCN, 2011). In Britain, six in ten people are reported to be suffering from long term conditions that currently cannot be cured; and these people are often suffering from more than one condition that makes their care challenging. It is estimated that by 2030 the UK will have double the number of people aged 85 years or over, who are living with one or more long term condition (Department of Health, 2014).

According to Kim, Chang, Rose, & Kim (2011), care-giver burden has been defined as a multidimensional response to the negative appraisal and perceived stress resulting from the taking care of an ill individual (p. 846). More easily stated a care-giver is a person who assists another individual with one or more of their daily activities of living. A person who finds it necessary to care for a loved one suffering from dementia often finds the task daunting if not polarizing. The role of caregiver often times has a negative effect on the caregiver. These can include feelings of depression, isolation, fear and anger as well as the feelings of constant responsibility and social isolation (Kim et al., 2011).

Caregivers play a crucial role in the care of dementia patients. Providing care for dementia patients results in stress related health impacts to the caregiver. The caregivers go through a journey with the dementia patient and need a strong support system. The best approach to dementia care is for health care providers to provide information to and monitor the caregiver, in addition to the dementia patient, encourage the caregiver to take care of themselves, to seek support, and to work as a team to provide the best care for the dementia patient.

Routine home care is the first level of hospice care that is designed to let the patient have access to medical services in the comfort of their own home. This level of care is available when a patient 's condition or illness does not require around the clock support from a doctor or registered nurse. Although the patient is terminally ill, there pain and comfort level can be managed by family or friends.  Many supportive options can be used by the patient and their family at this stage to ensure quality of life. A religious representative or chaplain may make regular visits to the home and offer “spiritual guidance”. Social workers assist families in many ways during hospice care, some examples include; helping to find community and nonprofit organizations (support groups, meal assistance, etc), assistance with insurance issues and funeral planning or other end of life decisions. Nurses and physicians help to educate family members on pain management and keeping their loved ones comfortable. During this stage of hospice, a nurse makes regular scheduled visits and does not “stay” with the patient 24 hours a day. Medical equipment such as a special bed or other assistance items are supplied to the hospice patient as well as medications and special support services. With the ultimate goal of keeping the patient in their own comfort, not going back

Caregiving is a responsibility best managed with plenty of help. Being a caregiver is very hard and tough work. It is very important that caregivers are taking care of just like their patients. Many caregivers give everything they have and do not rest when they really should take time to breathe and have time for themselves. That is why there are many organizations for caregivers and their patients. These organizations are made for the caregivers to teach them to be the best that they can be at their job and also making sure that their mental state is doing well.

The caregiver works along side the health care team and has an important role in improving the elder cancer patient's health and QOL (Haley, 2003). Caregivers and cancer patients need support from healthcare professionals who understand the social outlook of living with cancer (Haley, 2003). Social workers are an integral part of care provided for cancer patients and their caregivers. Social workers perform many tasks like psychosocial interventions which include, coping with the diseases and issues with the family relationships, social interventions, such as legal support and housing issues, economic interventions, such as, pension benefits issues and social security, outpatient follow-up care, home care, assisted living,

As many patient´s illness beings to progress, many are left feeling “useless” as their health begins to deteriorate and they are unable to function as they used to. And from scheduled check-ups to surgeries, the hospital bill begins to rack up which may cause patients to feel like burdens to the family. According to a case study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a 56-year-old man with leukemia and his wife/caregiver were unemployed due to his condition and her efforts to care for him. She had many caregiving responsibilities such as “cleaning, driving, preparing meals, and coordinating medication, oxygen and other treatment-related activities”. From having no source of income, her finances were limited leading to her close watch on expenses. Meanwhile, as she focused on her husband’s health, she had failed to address her own health conditions. Lacking a support system, the intense and unpredictable future associated with shouldering the burden of her husband's outpatient care created a stressful atmosphere as she alternated her daily life schedule in order to meet his needs. In many instances of cancer, a patient's’ chances of becoming mentally and physically disabled increases. Resulting from such disabling illnesses often leaves the patient's feeling helpless as they begin to lose parts of their minds and bodies.

“Hospice home health care encompasses the assistance of physicians, nurses, personal care assistants, counselors, therapists, chaplains, social workers, and trained volunteers. Note, each home health caregiver plays a unique and important role in the patient’s care. Specifically, each home health caregiver provides care in his or her area of expertise. In essence, home health hospice targets as many facets possible in terms of the patient’s care. After all, each home health caregiver wants to relieve and/or minimize pain as much as possible so that the patient can be comfortable. Moreover, home health hospice care managers provide the patient, as well as the family, with a care plan that lists the specific duties, work days, and hours of the each home health caregiver; this also includes contact information. In other words, continuity is ensured via the constant communication.” (Advantage, 2011)

Providing care for a family member can cause a tremendous strain for the primary caregiver in many areas of his/her life including financial, physical, and psychological which often results in both increased emotional needs and physical complications for the caregiver (Eun-Jeong Lee, DeDios, Fong, Simonette & Lee, 2013). As disabled older adults live longer lives, there is now an increasing need to rely on others to assist them with their day-to-day activities and activities of daily living (ADL), and that role often falls upon the spouses of the impaired or close family members (Barbosa, Figueirdo, Sousa & Demain, 2010). Research data provided by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) estimated that there were approximately 44 million caregivers age 18 and over, with one third of those caregivers being male, whom were providing care to adults age 50 and above (National Alliance for Caregiving, 2015). These

338). Also, it is important to remember that family caregivers are unpaid providers who often need help to learn how to become competent in their delivery of care, while at the same time exercise safety to protect themselves, other family members, as well as the patient. The experienced nurse must always be an available resource when needed. The family caregiver must also be responsible enough to know their boundaries and when it is appropriate to ask for assistance.

Carer’s of people with dementia often find themselves adapting to constantly changing situations, and they need to cope with both the practical demands of caring and the emotional impact of the person's dementia. The carer may have to take on more roles and responsibilities. As dementia progresses, there

Dementia becomes very severe so that it impairs a person’s ability to work and perform common tasks in the home. The current solution is to have a caretaker, a caretaker is the family member or friend who gives the most help like personal care, instrumental daily activities, or health-related decisions. Caretakers find assisting with certain activities to be mainly disappointing and uncomfortable as it necessitates invasion of privacy and role reversal. Caretaker is also responsible for

Even with years of experience, caregivers often find the last stages of life uniquely challenging. Simple acts of daily care are often combined with complex end-of-life decisions and painful feelings of bereavement. End-of-life caregiving requires support, available from a variety of sources such as home health agents, nursing home personnel, hospice providers, and palliative care physicians. ( M.Wayne, M.A., L, Robinson and J.Segal Ph.D.)

Part of the caregiver or nurse's duty is to provide emotional support and understanding to the patient. Swanson (1993) proclaims that being with assures patients that their reality is appreciated and that the nurse is ready and willing to provide emotional support. Emotional support can come in many forms, such as providing a shoulder to lean on and listening attentively. By using the process of 'being with', nursing professionals can convey messages such as, "you are not alone, what happens to you matters and that we are here for you" (Swanson, 1993). Conveying these messages can help with the healing process and overall well-being of the patient by decreasing anxiety and providing the patient with a caring relationship when family support is unavailable.