The most common age group for informal carers is 45- to 59-year-olds.
The over 70s spend the most time on care-giving.
Female carers carry the highest care burden.
How professionals view carers is likely to impact on their approach to working practices. For example, whether they are seen as valuable support for the client, but not as a person in their own right, as a colleague or co-worker in the team, or as an individual who also has a role as carer. Culture and ethnicity impact on carer involvement, with a high proportion being from black and Asian minority communities. This was explored in Section 2.1 Common practices in
cultural groups in relation to common practices within cultural groups and impact on service provision.
Carers may be involved in a variety of ways and may participate in the planning, delivery and provision of services. Roulstone et al. (2006) highlighted the lack of definition of what is meant by involvement and participation. As discussed in Littlechild and Smith (2013), if there is no agreed definition of carer involvement, then objectives related to their participation Questions to be considered in interprofessional practice with carers (Littlechild and Smith 2013, p.205):
How do carers perceive themselves and their caring role?
How do the professionals perceive the carer and their role?
What are the objectives of carer involvement from the perspective of the carer and that of the professional?
Are the objectives clear for both?
How far does the carer wish to be involved in decisions?
What level of involvement is the carer comfortable with?
What are the satisfactory outcomes from the perspective of the carer, and that of the professional? Is there a conflict?
