Older Persons and Care

A time of transition: family caregiving, older people and long-term care

Dr Assumpta Ryan (Ulster) This presentation will bring together the findings from a range of qualitative and mixed methods studies on family caregiving and entry to long-term care from the perspective of older people and their families. The changing philosophy surrounding the provision of health and social care across Europe has resulted in a shift in policy from institutional to community based care. This shift lies at the heart of the ‘Transforming Your Care’ agenda in Northern Ireland. While there is strong evidence to suggest that older people wish to remain in their own homes, it is important to acknowledge

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The role of the hospice volunteer in two community settings

Jan Draper, George Kernohan and Aine MacNamara (OU and UU) In the United Kingdom, there are between 70,000 and 100,000 hospice volunteers, of whom half have direct patient contact. This presentation will draw on a commissioned literature review that highlighted how ‘volunteering is integral to voluntary action and often motivated by altruism.’ The review concluded that hospice at home volunteers can help improve the quality and responsiveness of end of life care, improve access to care and can support care and death in the person’s own home. Volunteers gain health and social benefits and personal growth from their volunteering and

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To Keep a Person in Their Own Wee Corner: An Exploration of the Roles, Responsibilities and Services Provided by Home Helps and Domiciliary Care Workers in a Large Health and Social Care Trust

Dr Kevin Moore (Ulster) Worldwide demographic trends indicate an expansion in the older person population and an increasing need for home-based social care provision. At the same time a number of factors impact on the ability of family members to provide informal care; and there is expected to be a reduction in the numbers of young adults available for employment in support roles. These changes will have a direct impact on the nature and type of services provided by primary health care teams, and home care services. This presentation will focus on findings of recent research looking at the roles

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