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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| The influence of service factors on spousal caregivers' perceptions of community services | | Author(s) | Tamara Sussman |
| Journal title | Journal of Gerontological Social Work, vol 52, issue 4, 2009 |
| Publisher | The Haworth Press, Inc., 2009 |
| Pages | pp 406-422 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Spouses as carers ; Attitude ; Community care ; Domiciliary services ; Usage [services] ; Social surveys ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | The literature clearly denotes that spouses differ from other family members in their reactions to caregiving, their patterns of service use and their assessment of specific services. Yet, despite their prevalence as caregivers, little is known about their unique perceptions of community services and the factors that affect their experiences with the service system. The purpose of this study was to explore the relative influence of spouses' personal factors (e.g. gender, family support); and service factors (e.g. one-on-one professional support) on spousal caregivers' perceptions of community services. The study employed a survey design with a sample of 73 spousal caregivers caring for their partners with dementia at home. This study found that spousal caregivers have more negative perceptions of the service system when their in-home workers are not informed about their spouses' likes, dislikes and routines. This service factor was the most significant predictor of caregivers' service perceptions. The study further found that most spousal caregivers received fewer than five consultations from a non-medical professional over a one year period. While spouses longed for more professional support, this service factor was not uniquely associated with service related stress. The policy and practice implications of these findings are discussed. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-090706208 A |
| Classmark | P6:SN: DP: PA: N: QLD: 3F: 7T |
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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