Support needs and service provision for family carers from Black and minority ethnic communities within the United Kingdom

Abstract

Chapter one is a literature review of the experiences of carers from Black and ethnic minority communities caring for someone with dementia in the United Kingdom. Critical analysis of eight articles revealed that carers viewed symptoms of dementia as a normal process of ageing. Furthermore, the carers perceived their role as an extension of an existing responsibility to provide care and support for their family member. The literature review highlighted the majority of carers being female and stigma of a family member having a mental health issue still influenced carers’ willingness to engage in formal health services. Chapter two is an exploration of the experiences that staff within alcohol services have had whilst providing support to relatives of alcohol dependent individuals from the Sikh community. Ten staff members were recruited to take part in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted on the derived data, eliciting a number of themes illustrating the nature of familial support provided for someone who is alcohol dependent, the pro-social attitude towards alcohol held by Sikh family members, a lack of understanding regarding addiction and the confidential nature of alcohol services. This article provided evidence of inter-generational differences between Sikh family member’s knowledge of addiction and the expectation of alcohol services. Lastly, the present study identified variations in how alcohol services target and tailor their services in specific ways to meet the needs of Sikh family members of someone with alcohol dependence. Chapter three is a reflective article on the process of conducting the empirical research. The article addressed reasons why the lead researcher conducted research in this area and considers the effects of participant experiences of working with Sikh family members of someone with alcohol dependence. This chapter also discusses the lead researcher’s relationship with participants and how the research process impacted on the lead researcher’s personal life