Caregiving in Asia: Priority areas for research, policy, and practice to support family caregivers

Abstract Population aging presents a growing societal challenge and imposes a heavy burden on the healthcare system in many Asian countries. Given the limited availability of formal long‐term care (LTC) facilities and personnel, family caregivers play a vital role in providing care for the increasin...

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Main Authors: Nan Jiang, Bei Wu, Yan Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-12-01
Series:Health Care Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.124
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author Nan Jiang
Bei Wu
Yan Li
author_facet Nan Jiang
Bei Wu
Yan Li
author_sort Nan Jiang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Population aging presents a growing societal challenge and imposes a heavy burden on the healthcare system in many Asian countries. Given the limited availability of formal long‐term care (LTC) facilities and personnel, family caregivers play a vital role in providing care for the increasing population of older adults. While awareness of the challenges faced by caregivers is rising, discussions often remain within academic circles, resulting in the lived experiences, well‐being, and needs of family caregivers being frequently overlooked. In this review, we identify four key priority areas to advance research, practice, and policy related to family caregivers in Asia: (1) Emphasizing family caregivers as sociocultural navigators in the healthcare system; (2) addressing the mental and physical health needs of family caregivers; (3) recognizing the diverse caregiving experiences across different cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and countries of residence; and (4) strengthening policy support for family caregivers. Our review also identifies deficiencies in institutional LTC and underscores the importance of providing training and empowerment to caregivers. Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers interested in supporting family caregivers should prioritize these key areas to tackle the challenge of population aging in Asian countries. Cross‐country knowledge exchange and capacity development are crucial for better serving both the aging population and their caregivers.
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spelling doaj-art-3f691213e4da4e0595d79b6cf8d58df12024-12-27T01:50:03ZengWileyHealth Care Science2771-17572024-12-013637438210.1002/hcs2.124Caregiving in Asia: Priority areas for research, policy, and practice to support family caregiversNan Jiang0Bei Wu1Yan Li2Institute for Hospital Management, Tsinghua Medicine Tsinghua University Beijing ChinaRory Meyers College of Nursing New York University New York New York USADepartment of Health Policy and Management School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai ChinaAbstract Population aging presents a growing societal challenge and imposes a heavy burden on the healthcare system in many Asian countries. Given the limited availability of formal long‐term care (LTC) facilities and personnel, family caregivers play a vital role in providing care for the increasing population of older adults. While awareness of the challenges faced by caregivers is rising, discussions often remain within academic circles, resulting in the lived experiences, well‐being, and needs of family caregivers being frequently overlooked. In this review, we identify four key priority areas to advance research, practice, and policy related to family caregivers in Asia: (1) Emphasizing family caregivers as sociocultural navigators in the healthcare system; (2) addressing the mental and physical health needs of family caregivers; (3) recognizing the diverse caregiving experiences across different cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and countries of residence; and (4) strengthening policy support for family caregivers. Our review also identifies deficiencies in institutional LTC and underscores the importance of providing training and empowerment to caregivers. Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers interested in supporting family caregivers should prioritize these key areas to tackle the challenge of population aging in Asian countries. Cross‐country knowledge exchange and capacity development are crucial for better serving both the aging population and their caregivers.https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.124caregivingAsiaresearchpolicy
spellingShingle Nan Jiang
Bei Wu
Yan Li
Caregiving in Asia: Priority areas for research, policy, and practice to support family caregivers
Health Care Science
caregiving
Asia
research
policy
title Caregiving in Asia: Priority areas for research, policy, and practice to support family caregivers
title_full Caregiving in Asia: Priority areas for research, policy, and practice to support family caregivers
title_fullStr Caregiving in Asia: Priority areas for research, policy, and practice to support family caregivers
title_full_unstemmed Caregiving in Asia: Priority areas for research, policy, and practice to support family caregivers
title_short Caregiving in Asia: Priority areas for research, policy, and practice to support family caregivers
title_sort caregiving in asia priority areas for research policy and practice to support family caregivers
topic caregiving
Asia
research
policy
url https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.124
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AT yanli caregivinginasiapriorityareasforresearchpolicyandpracticetosupportfamilycaregivers