Articles: caregivers.
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A parallel process to the aging of societies in the Western world occurs in changing family structures and network compositions. The shape of families is shifting from horizontal to vertical, where the size of generations is becoming smaller but the number of living generations is increasing. Recently there is an increased emphasis in the study of intergenerational relations on the interdependence of generations. ⋯ Empirical findings will focus on grandparent-grandchild relations and on immigrant families, stressing the importance of ethnicity. Second, care giving and support to frail elderly family members, in different types of living arrangements, will be described and analyzed, as a major topic in research and policy. Third, the relations and impact of family solidarity, support and care on the quality of life of the older people will be discussed.
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The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of a structured intervention program in emotional and physical states of family caregivers for elderly. This program is a series of five weekly 90-minute sessions including psycho-education, problem-solving techniques, and relaxation training. Subjects were 56 primary caregivers looking after relatives with dementia or disability at home. ⋯ Moreover, there was persistence of the improvement during two months after intervention. Post-intervention NK cell activity was significantly higher than the pre-intervention. These results indicated that our program was effective in managing the stress of family caregivers.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of symptom assessments in advanced cancer patients under various conditions, including multiple raters (patients, nurses, and family caregivers), occasions, and symptoms. ⋯ The findings from this study reinforce the need for the development of an integrated symptom assessment approach that combines patient and proxy assessments. Further research is needed to explore individual differences among raters.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Oct 1999
Comparative StudyMental symptoms in Parkinson's disease are important contributors to caregiver distress.
To determine the emotional and social distress of caring for a patient with Parkinson's disease and to explore the impact of motor and mental symptoms in subjects with Parkinson's disease on their caregivers' situation. ⋯ Caring for a spouse with Parkinson's disease is associated with emotional and social distress, underlining the importance of also assessing the needs of carers. Mental symptoms of parkinsonian patients were the most consistent and powerful predictors of caregiver distress, suggesting that identification and treatment of mental symptoms may reduce distress in caregivers of subjects with Parkinson's disease.