Barriers to accessing and receiving mental health care for paid and unpaid carers of older adults

AIM

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the barriers and facilitators to accessing and receiving mental health care for paid and unpaid carers of older adults.

METHODS

Unpaid and paid carers for older adults in England were interviewed remotely between May and December 2022. Participants were asked about their experiences of mental health needs and support. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven carers participated (npaid = 9; nunpaid = 28), with the majority caring for a parent with dementia. Thematic analysis generated four themes: lack of healthcare support, social care system failing to enable time off, personal barriers and unsupportive work culture. Healthcare professionals failed to provide any link to mental health services, including when a dementia diagnosis was received. Structural and organisational barriers were evidenced by carers being unable to take time off from their unpaid caring duties or paid caring role, due to an absence of social care support for their relative.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to have explored the barriers to mental health care and support for paid and unpaid carers for older adults and suggests that structural, organisational and personal barriers cause severe difficulties in accessing required support to care for older relatives, services users and residents.

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

Two unpaid carers aided with the development of topic guides, data analysis, interpretation and dissemination. Both were supported and trained to code anonymised transcripts.

Do community-based singing interventions have an impact on people living with dementia and their carers? A mixed-methods study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Psychosocial interventions have been shown to improve mood, relieve stress and improve quality of life for people living with dementia (PwD). To date, most evaluations of singing interventions have focused on the benefits for PwD and not their carers. This research aims to evaluate the benefits of dementia singing groups for both PwD and their carers.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This 2-year project will observe the impact of two different singing intervention services, one combining singing alongside dance and another that includes a sociable lunch. This project will aim to recruit a total of n=150 PwD and n=150 carers across the two singing interventions. Using a mixed-methods approach, the influence of both services will be analysed via the following outcome measures: quality of life, neuropsychiatric symptoms, social isolation, loneliness, cognition, carer burden and depressive symptoms in PwD and their carers using a prestudy/poststudy design. Regression models will be used to analyse the data with time (pre/post) as the exposure variable. Semistructured interviews will be conducted with a subset of people (n=40) to further investigate the impact of singing services with a specific focus on the acceptability of the interventions, barriers to access and prolonged engagement and potential for remote delivery. Interview data will be analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis, and public advisers will assist with coding the transcripts. A social return on investment analysis will be conducted to determine the social impact of the services.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This project has received ethical approval from the University of Liverpool's Ethics Committee (App ref: 12374) and Lancaster University's Ethics Committee (App ref: 3442). All participants will provide informed consent to participate. Results will be presented at national and international conferences, published in scientific journals and publicly disseminated to key stakeholders.