Whilst I welcome very much the importance Mr Rees and his co-workers give to understanding and measuring the strains born by partners of those with chronic illness or disability (November 2001 JRSM, pp. 563-566), I hope that it is not felt that partners are the only groups affected. These effects cross generations, depending on the age of the disabled individual. Thus, in addition to the partner, those involved in sharing the burden include: in the older generation, adult children; in the middle generation, both parents and children; and in children, parents and siblings1.
There has been a natural concern for children who provide care2 even though they themselves may be profoundly affected by their parent's disability3,4. The effects on parents of children with disabilities or illness are also profound, emotionally and physically5 as well as financially6.
Regrettably these areas appear to be under-researched and it is to be hoped that Mr Rees and his colleagues will find this a challenging area for further study.
References
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