Informal Care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Informal Care - Assignment Example Management of CHF requires shared responsibilities as increasing number of CHF patients have decreased formal care provision. Informal care is an avenue that has best potential for ensuring adequate quality of life for CHF patients, and at the same time also ensuring that CHF patients get more attention than would have been possible in formal care. Clark et al (2007) survey of informal carers and their patients has pointed out that informal care givers have been able to manage and ensure adequate quality of life for CHF patients. Authors have pointed out that informal and invisibl3 care could be even better managed if the informal care givers were given basic training for recognizing and managing some of CHF symptoms. Francine et al (2002) provides enlightening statistics that in 2002 there were at least 41 million people with chronic debilitating conditions. Another issue might be increased longevity through intervention better nutrition and quality of life - thus the proportion of old people afflicted with chronic conditions is continually rising. Informal caring which may be through family or friends (and usually is honorary) has taken on increasingly important role as formal carers reduce in proportion to the chronically ill. Incidentally most of the informal care is given by women, be it daughters or sometimes wives. The toll on women caregivers is quite stressful with many women being forced to take lower paying jobs that allow them more time for. Care giving has also been known to be mentally taxing and causing emotional stress. Caregivers are more susceptible to indigestion and high blood pressure and caregivers, who care for patients with Alzheimer and psychopathological disorders, may h ave bouts of depression. Informal care givers are not given adequate governmental support and many of the services performed for ill disposed may not be reimbursable through NHA or Medicaid. Francine et al (2002) reiterate that policies should be introduced that recognize the efforts and work performed by the care givers. As care givers tend to be over 40, many of the social workers and care givers might themselves be in need of support in coming years (Francine et al 2002). Understanding Chronic Heart Failure may be important to appreciate the need for informal care. Donovan (2008) defines CHF as condition affecting older population which affects temperament and frequently is terminal. Using survey of care givers gave 3 dimensions which were important in informal care. Caring for CHF patient was frequently a shared activity and involved both visible and invisible methods of caring. The severity of symptoms determined the type and quantity of intervention requirements. The carer's lack of formal knowledge was contrasted by knowledge gleaned from experience with CHF patient. The informal care givers were cognizant of patient's mood, physiology temperament changes and could relate to these changes with corresponding requirements of more intensive care provision. The visible caring activities, managing medicine and personal care, were found to be tiring. As CHF conditioned worsened CHF patients were found to require