Free Health Dissertations - The Difference Between A Formal And Informal Carer And Does It Matter? The
The difference between a formal and informal carer and does it matter?
The definition of to ‘care for’ is set out in the Cambridge Dictionary as to to look after someone or something, especially someone who is young, old or ill. Care is often required to varying degrees for the elderly, the sick and the disabled, although the types and intensity of care required will be completely dependent upon the individual, and their requirements. The different types of care can be seen to involve four main means of involvement; direct services provision, financial assistance, bureaucratic mediation and emotional support. Direct services provision will involve the actual actions of care given, and can include both the provision of aid, and hands-on or practical support. Therefore activities such as personal care and general helping behaviours such as housework will be involved. Financial assistance involves keeping the care-receivers monies in order, and could involve the payment of bills. Bureaucratic mediation involves the carer applying for services or aid that the care-receiver is entitled to, thus acting on their behalf to get benefits, extra care etc. Lastly emotional support will occur through keeping the individual company, giving them someone to talk too and helping them to deal with the difficulties they are facing such as illnesses or disabilities that have led to them requiring care.
The context in which this act of care occurs can be seen to distinguish between categories of formal and informal care-giving, with the nature of the relationship between carer and care-receiver and nature of care-giving tasks usually classifying the type of care. Informal care will usually involve a voluntary aspect and most often will be provided by family and in some cases friends or neighbours. Such care can occur from within the household, such as when the informal carer will live with the care-receiver or vice-versa, and care is subsequently provided 24 hours. However informal care can also occur from outside then household, such as when the care-receiver continues to live independently, but the informal carer will visit often and complete a number of tasks such as housework or cooking. Informal carers will not receive financial payment for their activities, and as a result of this around 75% of informal carers are believed to be involved in some kind of employment (full-time, part-time or self-employed) as well as their caring duties. Informal care therefore involves a mixture of practical support, social interaction and protective supervision.
Formal carers thus differ from informal carers as they are acting in an agency-client relationship with the care-receiver, and are paid and trained to perform their caring role. The amount and types of care a ‘client’ will be given is usually determined by an assessment procedure. Such financial implications can therefore be shown to be the first major difference between the informal and formal carer.
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