How Can Family/Carers of Those with Mental Illness Be More Involved in The Care and Treatment of Their Family Members?
Abstract
The involvement of family and carers during the illness episodes and recovery is associated with many implications with the perspective of carers, patients, and healthcare professionals. Carers can participate in the care and treatment process by considering multiple factors. From emotional attachments to average weekly hours, the capacity to contribute to the recovery of the patient must be stimulated. The literature covered many insights regarding the possible involvement of carers in many ways. Interestingly, these insights or discussions are linked with current research or narratives in terms of involvement, participation, and related problems. By discussing these implications, the research study exposed some essential ways for carers to enable active involvement. The ultimate goal is to bring the patient back to ordinary life. Nursing practices and related implications are also interrelated with the whole discussion, which makes this research study meaningful and valuable for future research.
Introduction
Dealing with the patient who contains mental illness is a big challenge for family and carers. Family or carers of those with mental illness can be involved in the care and treatment of their family members effectively. It can be said that the family members or carers can assist healthcare professionals in treating the patient in a better way. In this study, the emphasis is on the role of family members or carers in the mental illness patient treatment. Various implications for nurses in the healthcare industry or organizations are also to be elaborated. Mental health nursing practice is in the limelight due to multiple implications. The purpose of this study is to identify and streamline the role of family members and caregivers, along with associations with nursing implications. The healthcare organization can define the role of family or caregivers to treat mental illness patients.
How can family/carers of those with mental illness be more involved in the care and treatment of their family members?
Identifying Symptoms of Mental Illness
Family/carers can be involved in the treatment of the patient who is suffering from mental illness. They can be involved in the treatment of their family members by identifying symptoms of mental illness. It can be asserted that these people, who come from the social network, can assist in diagnosing the mental illness. Carers of these individuals with mental illness can spend time with them and identify insights, which are to be shared with healthcare professionals or specialists.
For instance, family members or carers can recognize symptoms of mental illness such as the problem with memory and thinking, social withdrawal, disconnection with reality, alcohol and drug abuse, extreme mode change, thoughts of suicide, and changes in eating, sleeping, and hygiene habits. The specialist cannot spend all day or weeks with the patient, as they have to rely on caregivers to get pertinent information and start a treatment process. In short, caregivers or family members can reduce or eliminate affiliate stigma set the foundation for mental illness identification and treatment (Mak, S, Cheung, & M, 2012).
Educating Carers
Dealing with the patient with mental illness is complicated for both healthcare professionals and family members or carers. Carers should be involved in the treatment process directly or indirectly. For instance, accepting that the loved is suffering from mental illness is sturdy, as it may also take time. Yet, the best way for carers to involve or participate in the treatment process is to get education regarding symptoms, behavior, or reactions. Educated caregivers or family members are helpful to support health professionals or specialists. The most important thing is to share precise information with specialists, which sets the foundations for both diagnosis and treatment. It has been exposed that carers or family members can face many difficulties.
For instance, giving care to a person or a family member with mental illness can be exhausting or frustrating. Caregiving sometimes becomes a burden as carers have to sacrifice their time or even life. But, if the carers become exhausted or frustrated, the effects of the treatment process cannot be justified. When working with an ill person, there is a need to contain emotional and sentimental attachments. The involvement in the care and treatment of family members is possible through demonstrating emotional behavior. A person who is emotionally attached to the patient can understand the need or requirements, even during or after the treatment, a person who is close to the patient can adequately implement procedures, medication, and many other activities to bring him back to a healthy life (Kokanovic, Petersen, & Klimidis, 2006).
Instrumental Support or Caregiving
Apart from helping in diagnosing and assisting mental illness experts, carers have to contain various requirements as well. For instance, one of the prominent requirements for caregivers or family members is to provide instrumental support or caregiving. It is a significant factor or element which can justify the involvement in the care and treatment process. Siblings, both females and males, can play a vital role in this regard. Enabling the specialist’s visit, understanding the instructions, and providing instrumental caregiving are leading roles or duties or siblings. However, research suggests that female siblings are more effective in giving instrumental caregiving than males. Based on it, it can be said that female siblings, who are carers, can participate in the care and treatment process (Lohrer, Lukens, & Thorning, 2007).
Mediated Learning Experience
Recovery of the mentally ill person or family member is essential, and carers can achieve it through involvement in the care and treatment process. The mediated learning experience is one of the most significant factors in the care and treatment process. Cares have to understand the importance of mediating learning experience and interventions. Through this consideration, they can bring hope. In short, working or caregiving with the hope of recovery can also improve the willingness to recover early. The research exposed the effectiveness of the Keshet program, which is a didactic academic cause. This course helps carers or family members to use different communication tools cognitively. Interestingly, this course integrates with the Feuerstein theory.
According to this theory, human learning always occurs through direct exposure to a stimulus. Apart from it, this theory further reveals, human learning can occur via indirect mediation between individual and stimulus. Now, cares who contain direct exposure may adopt several cognitive skills to deal with family members with mental illness. It is an advanced or progressive approach to streamline the role of carers or family members in the care and treatment process (Redlich, Hadas-lidor, Weiss, & Amirav, 2010).
Integration with Service Providers
Involvement in care or treatment becomes more complicated when it becomes stressful and hectic for carers. It depends on the capability of carers how they can make effective resource strategy, which is one of the requirements of specialists when treating a patient who has a mental illness. For instance, carers can sustain their involvement in the care and treatment process by using the helpline. Many organizations often provide services to caregivers to reduce the burden or stress.
Therefore, it can be said that telecommunication is a kind of resource, and regular interaction with the service provider can help to make the difference. Maybe, cares lacks resources, which are required for carers to enable treatment and care at home. Consequently, they can get help from the service providers to reduce their stress and burden. It justifies the participation or involvement of carers in the care and treatment process. They cannot let the patient go during the treatment due to stress or burden. The most important thing is the sustainability of the treatment process at home to make the patient recover early (Shor & Birnbaum, 2012).
Standard or Average Hours per Week
Patients or family members with mental illness need adequate care or treatment, instructed by a healthcare professional or expert. The inspiration can be taken from Australia cares or adult caregivers. For instance, a specialist may suggest a certain amount of time, which is to be spent with patients with mental illness. If carers spend inadequate time with these patients, then it can justify the active involvement or participation in the care and treatment process. 37.2 hours per week is a standard care time for adult caregivers. The most important thing is to become a primary mental caregiver, which can also assist the doctor or mental illness experts in treating the patient incredibly. The active, caring time must be linked with emotional or psychosocial support, which can facilitate the treatment process in a better way. Now, it depends on the mental condition or level of the disease or mental disorder, which can help both healthcare professionals and carers to estimate the time required (Hielscher, Diminic, Kealton, Harris, Lee, & Whiteford, 2019).
Eliminating Financial Barriers
Carers or family members can participate in the care and treatment process when dealing with a family member who is suffering from Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a serve mental illness or disease, which can incase burden and psychological impact on carers. The big hurdle or barrier in the care and treatment process is lack of financial resources, and it is quite visible in two big cities of China. The research reveals how cares in Hong Kong and Guangzhou face financial issues or burdens when assisting patients. Therefore, involvement in care and treatment becomes sturdy.
Participation is possible for carers by combining or gathering financial resources. A regular visit to a healthcare institution, medication, cost of instruments, and many other elements can increase the cost, which may restrain them from caregiving. Improving the social network and streamlining the need for financial assistance is an excellent approach to sustain involvement in the care and treatment process. (Cw Lam, Ng, & Tori, 2013).
The relevance of mental health Nursing Implications for Nursing
The literature or discussion regarding the role of carers in care and treatment is aligned with mental health nursing practice. In the contemporary healthcare climate, the part of nurses is in the limelight due to the impact on patient health. For instance, mental health nurses need to assess the mental state of the patient and share valuable insights with doctors or mental health experts. Nurses can collaborate with carers or family members to get useful information regarding the mental state. After sharing the data with experts, the nurse can go back to carers to advise something new. It is how the treatment or care for mental illness proceeds in the healthcare environment and the role of both nurses and cares are in the spotlight in this regard. Nurses in healthcare organizations have to establish a foundation for effective communication.
For instance, they can advise carers on how to collect data or assess family members with mental illness. Specific communication patterns can be developed by nurses and carers to treat and care patients collaboratively. In the contemporary healthcare setting, nurses have to maintain a good relationship with patients and family members. Due to disturbed mental conditions, the relationship with a caregiver is mandatory. Another implication or nurse in the mental health practice is the consultation with the healthcare professional. Discussion with a knowledgeable mental health professional is an obligatory role of nurses. When consulting with professionals, they can refer to carers or family members to discuss the level of mental illness and possible improvement or progress.
It can be said that the nurse can play a role of a bridge between healthcare professionals and carers to evolve effective healthcare and treatment processes. Nurses in mental healthcare institutions can also understand the issues or problems which have been discussed in the above section. Based on it, medication or treatment strategies in both hospitals and homes can be optimized, and it can also enhance the visibility or caregiver’s involvement in the care and treatment process (Grabowski, Aschbrenner, Feng, & Mor, 2009).
Conclusion
In the end, it is to conclude that carers or family members can play a role in patient recovery. Mental illness can be a severe disease, which can put the burden on both caregivers and medical professionals. This research study highlighted many possibilities for carers or caregivers when dealing with a patient who is struggling with mental illness. Apart from it, prominent nursing implications are also discussed later in the research study. According to research findings, carers can stimulate the capacity to participate or get involved in the care or treatment of patients. They have to identify the needs or requirements of patients and reduce or eliminate hurdles to become better carers with the perspective of both patient and healthcare professionals.
References
Cw Lam, P., Ng, P., & Tori, C. (2013). Burdens and Psychological Health of Family Caregivers of People with Schizophrenia in Two Chinese Metropolitan Cities: Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Community Mental Health Journal, 49 (6), 841-6. DOI:10.1007/s10597-013-9622-6
Grabowski, D. C., Aschbrenner, K. A., Feng, Z., & Mor, V. (2009). Mental Illness In Nursing Homes: Variations Across States. Health Affairs, 28 (3), 689-700.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.28.3.689
Hielscher, E., Diminic, S., Kealton, J., Harris, M., Lee, Y. Y., & Whiteford, H. (2019). Hours of Care and Caring Tasks Performed by Australian Carers of Adults with Mental Illness: Results from an Online Survey. Community Mental Health Journal, 55 (2), 279-295. DOI:10.1007/s10597-018-0244-x
Kokanovic, R., Petersen, A., & Klimidis, S. (2006). ‘Nobody Can Help Me… I am Living Through it Alone’: Experiences of Caring for People Diagnosed with Mental Illness in Ethno-Cultural and Linguistic Minority Communities. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 8 (2), 125-35. DOI:10.1007/s10903-006-8521-0
Lohrer, S. P., Lukens, E. P., & Thorning, H. (2007). Economic Expenditures Associated with Instrumental Caregiving Roles of Adult Siblings of Persons with Severe Mental Illness. Community Mental Health Journal, 43 (2), 129-51. DOI:10.1007/s10597-005-9026-3
Mak, W. W., S, Cheung, R. Y., & M. (2012). Psychological Distress and Subjective Burden of Caregivers of People with Mental Illness: The Role of Affiliate Stigma and Face Concern. Community Mental Health Journal, 48 (3), 270-4. DOI:10.1007/s10597-011-9422-9
Redlich, D., Hadas-lidor, N., Weiss, P., & Amirav, I. (2010). Mediated Learning Experience Intervention Increases Hope of Family Members Coping with a Relative with Severe Mental Illness. Community Mental Health Journal, 46 (4), 409-15. DOI:10.1007/s10597-009-9234-3
Shor, R., & Birnbaum, M. (2012). Meeting Unmet Needs of Families of Persons with Mental Illness: Evaluation of a Family Peer Support Helpline. Community Mental Health Journal, 48 (4), 482-8. DOI:10.1007/s10597-012-9504-3
