Priority 2 from the Setting priorities for social care research in Wales project

UNCERTAINTY: How can we reduce isolation and stress amongst carers of older people and prevent burn-out? (Priority 2)
Overall ranking	2
JLA question ID	0102/2
Explanatory note	Older people and carers wondered if giving carers increased opportunities to socialise with each other would help, whilst practitioners wondered how best to support carers who are struggling with their caring responsibilities.
Evidence	Vernooij‐Dassen M, Draskovic I, McCleery J, Downs M. Cognitive reframing for carers of people with dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD005318. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005318.pub2. ~ Liu Z, Sun YY, Zhong BL. Mindfulness‐based stress reduction for family carers of people with dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2018, Issue 8. Art. No.: CD012791. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012791.pub2. ~ Lins S, Hayder‐Beichel D, Rücker G, Motschall E, Antes G, Meyer G, Langer G. Efficacy and experiences of telephone counselling for informal carers of people with dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 9. Art. No.: CD009126. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009126.pub2. ~ Legg LA, Quinn TJ, Mahmood F, Weir CJ, Tierney J, Stott DJ, Smith LN, Langhorne P. Non‐pharmacological interventions for caregivers of stroke survivors. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD008179. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008179.pub2. ~ ~ Jensen M, Agbata I N, Canavan M, and McCarthy G (2015) Effectiveness of educational interventions for informal caregivers of individuals with dementia residing in the community: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 30(2), 130-43 ~ Laver K, Milte R, Dyer S, Crotty M (2016) A systematic review and meta analysis comparing carer focused and dyadic multicomponent interventions for carers of people with dementia, Journal of Aging anf Health, 1-42 ~ Scott Jennifer L, Dawkins Sarah, Quinn Michael G, Sanderson Kristy, Elliott Kate-Ellen J, Stirling Christine, Schuz Ben, and Robinson Andrew (2016) Caring for the carer: A systematic review of pure technology-based cognitive behavioral therapy (TB-CBT) interventions for dementia carers. Aging & Mental Health 20(8), 793-803 ~ Dickinson, C., Dow, J., Gibson, G., Hayes, L., Robalino, S., Robinson, L., Psychosocial intervention for carers of people with dementia: What components are most effective and when? A systematic review of systematic reviews, International Psychogeriatrics, 29, 31-43, 2017 ~ Judith Bom, MSc, Pieter Bakx, PhD, Frederik Schut, PhD, Eddy van Doorslaer, PhD, The Impact of Informal Caregiving for Older Adults on the Health of Various Types of Caregivers: A Systematic Review, The Gerontologist, Volume 59, Issue 5, October 2019, Pages e629–e642, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny137
Health Research Classification System category	Generic health relevance

Extra information provided by this project
Original uncertainty examples	Without carers the elderly will need a lot more support from social services. Carers are not prioritised enough, I am a carer support officer and only have a part time contract of 18.5 hours a week. My waiting list is several months long, by this time the carer is in crisis, my job shoul be full time so the carers are seen sooner to relieve their stress and in that sense ease the burden on social services. without carers Social services would be under a bigger strain than it is now.~ 15% of older carers aged 75-84 agree that they struggle to cope with their caring responsibility. How could these carers be better supported, particularly in light of supporting the people they care for to live independently for longer?
Submitted by	1 x carer, 3 x group members (a mix of older people and carers), 2 x practitioners

Extra information provided by this project

Original uncertainty examples

Without carers the elderly will need a lot more support from social services. Carers are not prioritised enough, I am a carer support officer and only have a part time contract of 18.5 hours a week. My waiting list is several months long, by this time the carer is in crisis, my job shoul be full time so the carers are seen sooner to relieve their stress and in that sense ease the burden on social services. without carers Social services would be under a bigger strain than it is now.~ 15% of older carers aged 75-84 agree that they struggle to cope with their caring responsibility. How could these carers be better supported, particularly in light of supporting the people they care for to live independently for longer?

Submitted by

1 x carer, 3 x group members (a mix of older people and carers), 2 x practitioners

Project information
Project unique ID	0102
Project name	Setting priorities for social care research in Wales
Total number of uncertainties identified by this project.	35 (To see a full list of all uncertainties identified, please see the detailed spreadsheet held on the JLA website)
Date of priority setting workshop	16 & 17 September 2020