The psychological impact on carers after they have placed a loved one into aged care is the subject of a research project being conducted at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and researchers are looking for people who are willing to share their personal experience.
USC Master of Clinical Psychology student, Amanda Axsentieff (pictured) is leading the project, called the Finding Benefits Study, which is being run in conjunction with Sunshine Coast aged care provider, NoosaCare Inc.
Ms Axsentieff says the Finding Benefits Study aims to help partners and families find meaning in being a caregiver. To that end, she is looking for primary carers who have experienced placing a loved one in an aged care facility – be they wives, husbands, sons or daughters – to participate in the study.
She says that while there have been numerous studies about the toll on a carer’s physical and mental health while caring for someone elderly who needs support, there has been little investigation into what happens to the carer AFTER their loved one has moved into a facility.
“Primary caregivers often devote many years of their lives to the wellbeing of their partners or parents, only to then experience stress and anxiety when the time comes to place that loved one in an aged care facility,” Ms Axsentieff says.
“There has been substantial research into the effect of moving into an aged care facility for care recipients. A less studied field is the impact of this transition on the family,” she says.
To address the ongoing stress and anxiety experienced by families, the study is trialling a cognitive behavioural therapy program among study participants, which aims to help families find meaning in caring and shift attention away from negative thought patterns.
“Providing coping skills education and support to caregivers should reduce the amount of guilt and depressive symptoms they experience. In turn, this will support a more engaging relationship with facility staff and ultimately create better quality of life for care recipients.”
If you have been through this experience and are able to volunteer for the study, you can phone 0411 955 421 or email ajh034@student.usc.edu.au
Ms Axsentieff’s project supervisors are USC’s Professor of Psychology Mary Katsikitis and Lecturer in Psychology Dr Prue Millear.
