Free Health Dissertations - However Governments In Particular See The Financial Benefit Of Optimizing The
However Governments in particular see the financial benefit of optimizing the informal rather than the formal carer, as in Scotland alone, the financial cost of replacing informal with formal carers (for 28 hours of care per week) would invoke a cost of around £200 million. There are also important implications to both the care-receiver and the carer when informal or formal care is used.
Implications to the patient can be seen to be both beneficial and limiting. The fact that family members take on caring responsibility mean increased interaction and connectedness within the family which can act in a very positive manner and in giving the care-receiver good emotional support. It has also been frequently cited that continuity gained from care by those who know the individual best contributes to a better quality of life (especially in setting where informal care is provided outside the household such as in a residential home.) Informal carers are thus renowned for being superior to formal carers at providing general tasks and emotional support however care-receivers can also be left in such situations feeling like a burden which will have a damaging effect emotionally and psychologically. However when formal carers are used, the patient will benefit from the training and knowledge that they will bring to the situation. Correct methods and techniques of caring will mean especially technical tasks may be performed better and more efficiently such as lifting and medical/treatment care. Thus on the negative side, the use of informal care will mean that patients may not see the benefit of correct care procedures from the knowledge and skills acquired from training and experience in the care profession, whereas patients using formal care provisioning will not get the benefit of increased contact with their family and as a result may become more socially excluded than those who have care from their families and friends.
These implications do not stop with the care-receiver as the differences between informal and formal caring may be even more prominent for the carer, but mainly in informal situations. As mentioned previously, the majority of informal carers in the UK are also in employment and this could mean a number of things. Stress levels are likely to increase due to the added pressures of caring duties and employment. This dual role of worker-carer will also mean a loss of time for the carer to look after themselves and their own families and between increased stress and tiredness informal carers are believed to often experience a worsening of their own health, or problems with their sleeping patterns.
