Skip to main content
. 2022 Oct 25;17:1549–1567. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S384202

Table 3.

Responses from Older Carers About the Information/Support Service/Activity They Used to Maintain Carer Role and/or Manage Their Personal Physical and Mental Health While Undertaking the Carer Role

Older Carers (n=189) n with Data
General practitioner’s knowledge of your carer role n (%)

  • Yes

 151 (83.0) 182

  • No

 20 (11.0)

  • Unsure

 11 (6.0)
Has your general practitioner provided you with assistance /guidance/advice/referrals to help with your caring role? n (%)

  • Yes

 69 (46.3) 149

  • No

 80 (53.7)
What assistance has your general practitioner provided?

  • Referral to support services n (%)

 38 (56.7) 67

  • Referral to another health professional for my health n (%)

 28 (41.8) 67

  • Written information n (%)

 5 (7.5) 67

  • Suggested check-ups for my health n (%)

 5 (7.5) 67

  • Health promotion information n (%)

 4 (6.0) 67

  • Coping strategies (listed under “Other”)

 4 (6.0) 67

  • Listening and encouraging me (listed under “Other”)

 2 (3.0) 67

  • Provide information/suggestions (listed under “Other”)

 2 (3.0) 67

  • Referral to My Aged Care a (listed under “Other”)

 2 (3.0) 67
How often do you talk to your general practitioner about your own health and wellbeing needs? n (%)

  • Rarely

 31 (17.6) 176

  • Sometimes

 50 (28.4)

  • Usually

 63 (35.8)

  • Often

 32 (18.2)
Attended specialist clinic to get assistance for care recipient n (%)

  • Yes

 103 (57.5) 179

  • No

 76 (42.5)
What type of clinic do you go to with the person you provide care for? n (%)

  • Eye clinic

 53 (51.0) 104

  • Geriatric clinic

 37 (35.6) 104

  • Cardiac clinic

 27 (26.0) 104

  • Cognitive Dementia and Memory Service

 21 (20.2) 104

  • Diabetes clinic

 19 (18.3) 104

  • Neurology clinic

 19 (18.3) 104

  • Arthritis clinic

 16 (15.4) 104

  • Falls clinic

 12 (11.5) 104

  • Cancer clinic

 12 (11.5) 104

  • Respiratory clinic

 11 (10.6) 104

  • Allied health services (listed under “Other”)

 10 (9.6) 104

  • Fracture clinic

 9 (8.7) 104

  • Renal clinic

 4 (4.8) 104

  • Hearing clinic (listed under “Other”)

 2 (1.9) 104
Do any of the clinics offer assistance to you as a carer? n (%)

  • Yes

 20 (19.4) 103

  • No

 83 (80.6)
Have you ever accessed information from any organisation to help in your caring role? n (%)

  • Yes

 130 (73.0) 178

  • No

 48 (27.0)
Which organisation have you accessed information from? n (%)

  • Carer’s organisation (eg, Carers Victoria b, Carers Western Australia c)

 92 (73.6) 125

  • Dementia Australia d

 38 (30.4) 125

  • Carer support services (eg, Carer gateway e) (listed under “Other”)

 16 (12.8) 125

  • Other Disease-specific associations (eg, Parkinson’s Disease Association) (listed under “Other”)

 9 (7.2) 125

  • Home and community care organisations (listed under “Other”)

 6 (4.8) 125
Type of information accessed from the organisations n (%)

  • Online material

 67 (54.5) 123

  • Written material

 55 (44.7) 123

  • Members of a support group

 47 (38.2) 123

  • Facebook or online carers support group

 18 (14.6) 123

  • Face-to-face or phone counselling (listed under “Other”)

 12 (9.8) 123

  • Seminar/workshop/information session (listed under “Other”)

 6 (4.9) 123

  • Respite (listed under “Other”)

 6 (4.9) 123

  • Other practical support (eg, taxi vouchers) (listed under “Other”)

 5 (4.1) 123
Source of information that helped you with your role as a carer n (%)

  • Internet

 60 (51.7) 116

  • Carers websites

 49 (42.2) 116

  • Home and community care organisation

 44 (37.9) 116

  • Hospital

 33 (28.5) 116

  • Dementia Australia

 24 (20.7) 116

  • Health professionals (listed under “Other”)

 7 (6.0) 116

  • My Aged Care a (listed under “Other”)

 5 (4.3) 116

  • Carer’s organisation (eg, Carers Victoria b, Carers Western Australia c, listed under “Other”)

 5 (4.3) 116

  • Family (listed under “Other”)

 4 (3.4) 116

  • Closed FaceBook carer group (listed under “Other”)

 4 (3.4) 116

  • Disease-specific organisations (listed under “Other”)

 3 (2.6) 116
What kind of support service or activity do you use or engage in to maintain your physical health? n (%)

  • General practitioner

 110 (62.5) 176

  • Walking

 92 (52.3) 176

  • Diet and nutrition

 78 (44.3) 176

  • Sleep

 76 (43.2) 176

  • Yoga or Pilates or similar

 35 (20.0) 176

  • Go to a gym

 22 (12.6) 176

  • Other physical activity

 51 (29.1) 176

  • Nothing

 8 (4.6) 176

  • Consulting a psychologist/psychiatrist/counsellor (listed under “Other”)

 7 (4.0) 176

  • Hobbies (listed under “Other”)

 6 (3.4) 176

  • Sports (listed under “Other”)

 3 (1.7) 176
What kind of support service or activity do you use or engage in to maintain your mental health? n (%)

  • Talk to family and friends

 111 (62.4) 178

  • Participate in activities on my own, eg, reading etc

 105 (59.0) 178

  • Exercise

 83 (46.6) 178

  • See my general practitioner when required

 82 (46.1) 178

  • Establish good sleep habits

 59 (33.2) 178

  • Participate in groups or clubs, eg, choir etc

 50 (28.1) 178

  • Psychologist or counsellor

 41 (23.0) 178

  • Going to place of workship

 23 (12.9) 178

  • Nothing

 12 (6.7) 178

  • Working (listed under “Other”)

 5 (2.8) 178

  • Hobbies (listed under “Other”)

 3 (1.7) 178

  • Massage (listed under “Other”)

 2 (1.1) 178

Notes: For questions with set response options, including an “other” option, most frequent items listed under “Other” have been grouped and added to the list of set responses. These have been denoted as (listed under “Other”) in the Table. aMy Aged Care is a a centralised Australian government agency for aged care services. bCarers Victoria is the statewide voice for family carers, representing and providing support to carers in Victoria. cCarers Western Australia is the statewide voice for family carers, representing and providing support to carers in Victoria. dDementia Australia is an organisation that offers information and support to Australians living with dementia and those involved in their care. eCarers Gateway is an Australian Government program providing free services and support for carers.