The caring reality of family carers: an exploration of the health status of family carers of people with Parkinson’s disease: executive summary

摘要

Most caring in Ireland has traditionally taken place in the home. The health of family carers has not been a priority for the state even though it is crucial if people are to continue to provide informal care.udIn 2008, the Care Alliance Ireland carried out a survey on the health of family carers. We felt that we should build on this by looking more closely at the factors which affect the health and well-being of carers. This research comes at a time when the Government has postponed the National Carers’ Strategy in Ireland. In Irish society, the family unit is changing due to the economic downturn and other factors, such as migration and an aging population.udThis research provides up to date information on the health and well-being of a specific group of family carers in Ireland – carers of people with Parkinson’s disease. This follows our decision to carry out this research in association with the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland. Around 7,000 people in Ireland have Parkinson’s disease so their carers are likely to represent a sizeable sub-group of the 161,000 family carers identified in Census 2006. There is also very little research on the experiences of this group of family carers.