Background

Unpaid care is a critical source of support for people with health and social care needs. Unpaid carers are a group facing increasing demands and are at risk of adverse outcomes. This review aimed to assess the breadth of evidence on older carers/carers of older people in UK cohort studies.

Methods

Using scoping review methods, we developed a targeted search strategy in three bibliographic databases (Medline, PsycInfo and CINAHL) for studies reporting carer characteristics and outcomes. Data were mapped using Evidence for Policy and Practice Information (EPPI) Reviewer, a web-based programme for managing and analysing data in reviews. The impacts of caring were explored and synthesised.

Results

Eighty-five studies were included. Where studies examined the impact of caring, outcomes were typically health-related; findings were inconsistent. Fewer studies reported the socioeconomic, disability-related, quality of life, or social impacts of caring. Fewer than half of studies reported subgroup analyses or care recipient information, and only five studies stratified carers’ outcomes by a measure of socioeconomic status.

Conclusion

Our work highlights specific gaps in evidence regarding the social, economic, health and quality of life outcomes for carers. We also suggest methodological considerations to improve our understanding of care recipients, carers’ trajectories, and those at greatest risk of adverse outcomes. This information is vital to the development of research design, policies and interventions to support carers’ wellbeing.

Full publication

Caring for older people as a social determinant of health: findings from a scoping review of observational studies (Journal of Long-Term Care)

Date

February 2024

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