Informal Caregiving

1000 Words2 Pages

To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honours”. This is a quote that was written by Tia Walker, co-author of The Inspired Caregiver: Finding Joy While Caring for Those You Love (Speers & Walker, 2013). This report will focus on particular benefits and challenges of formal and informal caregiving. Informal care can be identified as “care given to dependent persons, such as sick or elderly persons, outside the framework of organized, paid, professional work” (Palm, 2011). It is said to be provided primarily in the home of the care recipient, conducted by spouses, relatives, children, friends, neighbours, and volunteer caregivers (Palm, 2011). In contrast, formal caregiving is given in institutions and living facilities …show more content…

Relationships in formal care will be affected both positively and negatively. Formal caregivers such as nurses, social workers, and physicians form bonds with patients while caring for them, especially over long periods of time (Waldrop, 2006). Patient-caregiver relationships have been found to be based on shared expertise, mutual understanding regarding the care being provided, negotiation of differences, and respect for the caregiving profession (Waldrop, 2006). These relationships can blossom through shared interests, similar views and beliefs, and any other elements that may constitute a positive affiliation between caregiver and patient.Positive relationships showcase the benefits of formal caregiving. Contrarily, caregiver and care-recipient relationships can be strained as a result of many different factors. The patient could be unable to communicate, be too vocal in what they need, could be rude in the way they request certain things, could be unwilling to receive care, or might not be in the ideal mental or physical state. Meanwhile, the caregiver could be the cause of such strain. The caregiver could be unwilling to provide care, too rough in the way the handle the patient, or rude in the way they respond and provide care to the patient. Such negative relationships serve as a challenge in formal caregiving. Both positive and negative relationships will be formed …show more content…

At present, informal care comprises a large percentage of elderly care (Palm, 2011). Customarily, informal caregivers are people that are close to the care-recipient. Children, grandchildren, spouses, and friends are just a few of the people who might provide care to a loved one. Many of the positive effects on the relationship between caregiver and receiver in informal care are similar to those in formal care. As a result of spending extended amounts of time together the relationship could strengthen. Both parties have the time to learn about each other and understand each other better, leading to a better relationship. In contrast, negative effects can come from a caregiver and recipient relationship. For many of the same reasons as with formal care, the caregiver could be unwilling to provide care, being forced to, they could be rough and rude in their ways of caring for the recipient, and they could simply not get along with the care recipient. The recipient could be incapable of communicating what they want or need, they could be unwilling to receive care, or could be in a declined mental state. In formal and informal care, association between caregiver and care recipient will result in either a positive relationship or a

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