A Needs-led Framework for Understanding the Impact of Caring for a Family Member With Dementia
By: Simon Pini, Emma Ingleson, Molly Megson, Linda Clare, Penny Wright, Jan R Oyebode;
Published in The Gerontologist, Volume 58, Issue 2, 19 March 2018, Pages e68–e77, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnx148
You can read the paper here: Article access
The reported research is based on 42 semi-structured interviews with family carers asking them to complete the sentence: “Being a carer impacts on fulfilling my need to/for….”:
Nine human needs impacted by caring were identified: feel close to my relative; feel in control of my life; freedom; be my own person; protect my relative; share/express my thoughts and feelings; take care of myself; feel connected to the people around me; get things done.
On the basis of the research, the authors propose a needs-led approach to understand the impact of caring on the lives of family carers. They recommend that clinical interviewing to discover human needs that are being impacted by caring would provide a valuable starting point for care planning.