Research spotlight: Support priorities of older carers

A study by Dr Daniel Herron and Dr Jessica Runacres to understand the support priorities of older (65+ years old) carers of people living with dementia.

 

Aim

The aim of this study was to understand the support priorities of older (65+ years old) carers of people living with dementia.

Methods

Two nominal group technique focus groups were carried out with older carers of people living with dementia. Twelve carers participated across two focus groups. Participants individually identified support priorities, and through several steps, reached a consensus to produce a ranked list of support priorities.

Findings

The results consisted of two lists (one list per group), which when combined made up 15 support priorities. These priorities are presented alongside their overall and mean ranking. The authors did not refine these priorities after the focus groups, however, as there was overlap between priorities across the two lists the results benefited from being themed.

These overarching themes consisted of prioritising the carers’ holistic needs; having a sense of belonging; support needs to be accessible and timely; support to meet the wellbeing and personhood of the person living with dementia; and understanding and training for the wider community.

Conclusions

These results have highlighted support priorities, developed by older carers, that services and organisations can use to better inform the support and services that older carers receive.

 

This article is republished under a Creative Commons license. Read the full research article: The Support Priorities of Older Carers of People Living with Dementia: A Nominal Group Technique Study

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