Care Plans for Families Affected by Parental Mental Illness

Author(s):  
Andrea E. Reupert ◽  
Kirsten T. Green ◽  
Darryl J. Maybery

The process of establishing care plans for families affected by parental mental illness is outlined in this article. Based on the feedback of families involved, the original objective of developing crisis plans was broadened to incorporate “care” components. Accordingly, family care plans included planning for possible future crises, such as a parent's hospitalization, as well as long-term goals, for example, education plans for the children. It was found that identifying both crisis and care components enhanced existing social supports within the family and involved pre-negotiating and coordinating agency supports for family members. The general principles and basic components of family care plans are outlined, and the implications for workers' roles conclude the article.

Author(s):  
Marlit Sell ◽  
Anne Daubmann ◽  
Holger Zapf ◽  
Bonnie Adema ◽  
Mareike Busmann ◽  
...  

Family functioning is often impaired in families with a parent with mental illness and is linked to child mental health. This study aims to gain a better understanding of family functioning in affected families by comparing ratings among family members and by analyzing associations with clinician-rated family functioning. The cross-sectional sample comprised 210 families with ratings of 207 patients, 139 partners, and 100 children. Parents with a mental illness as well as their partners and children completed the German version of the Family Assessment Measure (FAM). Clinician ratings were obtained by the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning Scale (GARF). We conducted several mixed models to compare ratings of family functioning while accounting for family cluster. Family dysfunction was consistently elevated compared to a normative sample. On several domains, parents with a mental illness perceived family functioning to be worse compared to their partners and children. Partners and children did not differ in their perceptions of family functioning. Ratings of family members were moderately associated with clinician ratings. We discuss the importance of multi-informant assessment of family functioning and the implementation of family-based interventions for families with a parent with mental illness.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayssa Rekhis ◽  
Sami Ouanes ◽  
Abir Ben Hamouda ◽  
Rym Rafrafi

Purpose This study aims to assess the awareness about the rights of people with mental illness in the main psychiatric hospital in Tunisia among the service users, the family members and the staff. Design/methodology/approach The Convention of Rights of People with Disabilities mandates that State Parties initiate and maintain campaigns and human rights training to promote understanding of the rights of people with mental illnesses, considered as a main factor for their fulfillment. Service users, family members and staff evaluated, through a survey, the importance of ten rights for persons with mental illness, stated in the convention. Findings Disparities were found in the perception of the different rights by and between the three groups. The highest levels of awareness were associated with the freedom from torture or degrading treatment and the right to live with dignity and respect, whereas the lower importance were assigned to the right to participation in recovery plans, to give consent and to exercise legal capacity. Originality/value The lack of awareness and the poor perception of rights of people with mental illness is one of the barriers to their achievement. More training and awareness raising is necessary.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Rana

Mental illness is a growing reality of our times. Usually in a typical Indian family, the parents act as the primary caregivers for the child suffering from mental disorder. For adult sufferers, it can also be siblings or offspring, and  at times even spouse or partner. Research on the experiences of families of mentally ill people has been minimal in the Indian context. This study aims to shift the focus from the mentally ill patients to the suffering of the caregivers and families of the patient keeping in mind the interconnected well being of the family in a collectivist culture. Following a qualitative approach, narratives have been taken from the family members of mentally ill (narratives of 8 families with mentally ill person) and also the mental health professionals (two) through semi structured interviews. The findings suggest that the family members suffer from a significant amount of stress accompanied by burden. Also, they feel secluded from the society and experience a lack of assistance to deal with the mentally ill member of the family.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 2047-2057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Hanssen ◽  
Phuong Thai Minh Tran

Background: If collectivistic-oriented family carers choose professional care for dependents with dementia, they risk being stigmatised as failing their obligation. This may influence dementia care choices. Research question: How may individualistic and collectivistic values influence choices in dementia care? Method: Qualitative design with in-depth interviews with a total of 29 nurses, 13 family members in Norway and the Balkans and 3 Norwegian dementia care coordinators. A hermeneutic content-focused analysis was used. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval was obtained from the Regional Ethics Committee for Research, South-Eastern Norway, and the nursing homes’ leadership. Findings: Family domain reasons why institutionalisation of dependents with dementia was seen as a last resort: obligation towards family members, particularly parents; worry about other family members’ reactions and inability to cope with the care for the person with dementia. Social domain reasons: feelings of shame and stigma regarding dementia, particularly in connection with institutionalisation of family members. Discussion: Children’s obligation towards their parents is an important aspect of the morality of collectivistic societies. Institutionalising parents with dementia may cause feelings of guilt and shame and worry about being stigmatised and ostracised. To avoid blame and rejection, caregiver(s) try to keep the fact that family members have dementia ‘in the family’. The decision to accept professional healthcare for dependents with severe dementia or have them admitted to a geriatric institution was postponed as long as possible. Conclusion: Family care morality may constitute a significant barrier against seeking professional help for persons with dementia, a barrier based on the expectation that the family will care for their old, even when suffering from severe dementia. Hence, stigma and shame may significantly affect the provision of care. Culturally tailored information may encourage family carers to seek professional help before the disruptive influence of the disease makes institutionalisation the only feasible option.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Ballal ◽  
Janardhana Navaneetham

Background: Children of parents with mental illness are not routinely included in psychoeducational and supportive family interventions provided by adult mental health systems. The family, therefore, is an important and, sometimes, the only source of information and support for them. Aim: To understand the experiences of well parents in talking to their children about parental mental illness. Method: This article presents the findings of a qualitative study of the experiences of well parents in talking to their children about parental mental illness. Ten well parents whose spouses were diagnosed with a severe mental illness participated in the study. Socio-demographic information, family details and history of the spouse’s mental illness along with their experiences of talking to children about parental mental illness, the perceived risks and benefits, challenges they faced and the role of others in the process were recorded. Qualitative data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: The themes of ‘distancing children from parental mental illness’, ‘avoiding conversations about the illness’, ‘giving and receiving emotional support’, ‘providing explanations of the illness’ and ‘regulating other sources of information’ show the complex ways in which well parents influence their children’s understanding of parental mental illness. The findings are examined in the background of what is known about this topic from the perspective of children or of the parent with illness. Possible ways to support well parents in families affected by parental mental illness are discussed. Conclusion: This study is a step forward in the understanding of how families talk to children about parental mental illness and provides the perspective of the well parent.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S287-S287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Wang ◽  
Yangdi Han

Abstract Objectives: This study aims to examine future planning among older caregivers for family members with intellectual disability or mental illness, focusing on preferences, predictors and barriers. Method: Data were drawn from 260 caregivers (aged 50 or older) to a family member with intellectual disability or mental illness in Shanghai, China. Caregivers rated six types of future care arrangement under three circumstances: (1) the ideal situation, (2) unable to provide care due to age-related illnesses, and (3) caregivers are deceased. Socio-demographic factors associated with future planning were examined using multinomial logistic regression. Caregivers also rated twelve barriers to future planning. Results: Government-subsidized care facility is the most preferable care arrangement across the three circumstances. While continuing family care was still preferred if caregivers were to become sick or deceased, it was a less preferred option in the ideal situation. Common barriers were the cost of institutional care and the inadequate skills of the staff. Regarding the predictors of future planning, the older the caregivers were, the less likely they had no future plans. Caregivers were more likely to prefer family care over institutional care if their family members had mild impairment. Caregivers of a family member with mental illness were more likely to have no future planning than caregivers of a family member with intellectual disability. Conclusion: This study identified the needs of older caregivers for future planning specific to different circumstances. It also identified demographic profiles of future planning and the caregiver population at risk of no future planning.


Author(s):  
María José Morales-Gázquez ◽  
Epifanía Natalia Medina-Artiles ◽  
Remedios López-Liria ◽  
José Manuel Aguilar-Parra ◽  
Rubén Trigueros-Ramos ◽  
...  

The traditional structure of families is undergoing profound changes, causing the so-called “crisis of family care.” This study describes the experiences and emotions of the family member who hires migrant caregivers for the older people. This is a qualitative study using a phenomenological design with nine women participants between 53 and 72 years of age. The data collection was carried out through two in-depth interviews and a focus group. There were three major topics: (1) the women in this study recognized that they were not able to take care of the family member directly, due to their responsibilities as female workers and mothers. The fact that migrant caregivers were chosen was conjunctural, where economic reasons were more important. (2) The family members supported the caregivers by teaching them about care and also resolving conflicts produced by culture shock. (3) Trusting the caregiver was a gradual process; the family members felt a complex set of emotions (insecurity, gratitude for the help, moral obligation). In conclusion, they wanted a caregiver who would provide the elder dependent with the love and compassion that they, as daughters, would provide if they had time to do so. The family became the caregiver’s managers and assumed the responsibility of training and helping them.


2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 221-226
Author(s):  
Tammi Vacha-Haase

Although bereavement programs in hospice and palliative care settings are known to produce positive outcomes for family members after the death of a loved one, currently there is a clear lack of services offered through long-term care (LTC) facilities, where older adults often reside prior to their death. The purpose of the present article is to present an initial bereavement program called We Care that focused on providing additional support for family members who experience a death of a loved one while in a LTC facility. Goals for the program include: 1) providing ongoing contact with the family for 1 year, and 2) offering a bereavement group. The program's model is explained, with highlights of obstacles experienced and suggestions for future programs.


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