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The Needs of Aging Parents Caring for an Adult with Acquired Brain Injury*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2010

Patricia Minnes ,
Lynn Woodford ,
Peter Carlson ,
Jane Johnston  and
Mary Ann McColl
Patricia Minnes*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
Lynn Woodford
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
Peter Carlson
Affiliation:
Regional Community Brain Injury Services, Kingston, Ontario
Jane Johnston
Affiliation:
Regional Community Brain Injury Services, Kingston, Ontario
Mary Ann McColl
Affiliation:
Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
*
†Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to / La correspondance concernant cet article doit être adressées à: Patricia Minnes, PhD Dept. of Psychology, Queen’s University Kingston Ontario Canada K7L 3N6 (e-mail: patricia.minnes@queensu.ca)
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Abstract

This study focused on issues of concern to and service needs of older parents caring for an adult son or daughter with an acquired brain injury (ABI) in Ontario. Three issues were identified as particularly challenging: diagnosis of the brain injury, parents’ feelings about the cause of the brain injury, and planning for long-term accommodation for their family member with a brain injury. The most frequently cited services needed for the person with ABI were social and/or recreational activities, day programs, and residential placement. The most frequently cited services needed by parents were parent education and support groups. The information gathered provides a base for further research in other sectors. Implications of these initial findings for clinical practice and policy and program development are discussed.

Résumé

Cette étude a porté sur des questions d’intérêt pour et au service des besoins des parents plus âgés qui s’occupent d’un fils ou d’une fille adulte avec une lésion cérébrale acquise (LCA) en Ontario. Trois questions ont été identifiées comme particulièrement difficile: le diagnostic de la lésion cérébrale, les sentiments des parents quant à la cause des lésions cérébrales, et le planification d’hébergement à long terme pour leurs membres de familles avec une lésion cérébrale. Les services les plus fréquemment cités pour les besoins d’une personne atteinte de LCA étaient d’ordre social et/ou d’activités de loisirs, programmes de jour, et le placement residentiel. Les services les plus fréquemment cités comme nécessaires par les parents etaient l’éducation des parents et des groupes de soutien. L’information recueillie fournit une base pour d’autres recherches dans d’autres secteurs. Les implications de ces résultats initiaux pour la pratique et la politique clinique et pour le développement du programme sont discutées.

Keywords

vieillissementaidantsune lesion cerebrale (LCA)stresssoutienagingcaregiversacquired brain injuryABIstresssupport
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 185 - 192
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2010

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Footnotes

*

This research was funded by a grant from the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. The authors greatly appreciate the considerable time and energy taken by the parents who shared their experiences with us and the agencies that made invaluable contributions to this project: Regional Community Brain Injury Services, Kingston; Pathways to Independence, Belleville; Hamilton Brain Injury Services, Brain Injury Community Re-entry Niagara, the Ontario and Ottawa Valley Brain Injury Associations, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and Participation House, Waterloo. We also would like to thank our interviewers—M.L. Boudreau, S. Lawrence, L. Lloyd, L. MacDonald, S. Rogers, C. Jestin, P. Leblanc, K. McKechrin, A. Bird, P. Baine, and T. Van Dongen—and research assistants: Tanya Snicer, Jennifer Nachshen, and Kelly Benn.

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