How the health services system could help family caregivers

What is it about?

I my study of the spill-over effect of illness on the family I demonstrate that the family caregiver needs dedicated attention and support from the health services. I discuss in a previous article the situation of family caregivers of persons living with serious mental illness. In this article I explore how the formal medical services can provide the support that the family caregiver needs to care for the loved one at home.

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Why is it important?

When dealing with serious chronic illness, it is imperative for family caregivers to be given formal guidance and access to the medical team looking after their loved ones. This article shows that the family caregiver is the doctor's proxy at home and needs that guidance and contact for the well-being of the patient as well as his/her own.

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