Journal of Nursing & Care

Scoping the Assessment Needs of Young Carers of Adults with a Long Term Condition

Abstract

Lioba Howatson-Jones and Esther Coren

The numbers of people living with a long term condition are increasing. People with long term conditions appear in a variety of health settings. Many of these may have young families and be reliant on them for help. The United Kingdom government policy recognises the contribution of carers and the need for assessment in their own right. The aim of this research was to bridge the gap between adult and child services by developing an assessment tool for adult nurses to use when working with a family where a young person is involved in the care of an adult with a long term condition. The study utilised a qualitative approach gathering data by means of three focus groups and developing results from thematic analysis to formulate an assessment tool. The findings identified that health professionals did not always know about young carers in their catchment or case load area, services were usually focused on the person cared for and explanations about the long term condition needed to be clearer and age specific. Cross-cultural applicability of the assessment tool has also been considered in terms of adaptability to other settings. The conclusions reached were that using an assessment tool to assess young carer input and needs when the person cared for comes into contact with acute services could help to create greater awareness of young carers and their needs.