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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| The roles of friends and neighbours in providing support for older people | | Author(s) | Andrew Nocon, Maggie Pearson |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 20, part 3, May 2000 |
| Pages | pp 341-368 |
| Keywords | Friend care ; Neighbour care ; Social roles. |
| Annotation | Most published research on informal care for older people focuses on the support provided by relatives. The role of non-kin carers can also be significant in supporting older people in their own homes. The authors report findings from an exploratory study of the support provided by friends and neighbours who are the main carers of frail older people. It draws on interviews with an opportunistic sample of friends, neighbours and older people, which explored their views about support arrangements, the reasons why help was provided and any difficulties experienced. Several friends and neighbours provided intense and frequent help, and some provided a key role in co-ordinating other services. More important was how support related to older people's quality of life, particularly the flexibility of such support, and the concern of friends and neighbours for older people as individuals. Nevertheless, such help was not provided without costs to the carers. The study highlights the need for policy-makers and practitioners not to take help from friends and neighbours for granted and, in line with the White Paper, "Modernising social services", to provide the support services they need. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-000717214 A |
| Classmark | P6:SX: P6:SY: TM5 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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