Norway: Introducing Carers Agreement – a tool for better cooperation between the services and informal carers!
After advocating for it, Norway got its first Carers strategy 2020-2025. The strategy was aiming to build up competence about carers in Norway as well as 36 point of actions that should be implemented or evaluated.
One of the vital things in the Carers strategy, was the launch of a Carers Agreement.
In Norway, carers that care more than 22 t hours per week are entitled by law to extra support. These typical carers are people living with and caring for an elderly person with dementia and/or other health issues, people caring for sick and/or disabled children or youth and people caring for persons with chronical medical diseases or conditions. They get help at home from health services and are normally the sole carer(s) providing help 24/7 when the services are not there.
The municipalities are obliged to support these carers with
- Information and guidance
- Support and education
- The right to carers allowance
- Respite for themselves and the person they care for
But theory and practice are two different things. The national Carers surveys that have been done as part of the Carers strategy, show that these carers report a lot of frustration in their cooperation with the health services. They miss a contact person, they miss coordination of services, their own needs as carers are not assessed and they do not get enough respite and support. In addition, they lack regular meetings with health care services to address new needs in care , to apply for institutionalized care., more respite etc.
The Carers agreement – purpose and content
The Carers agreement has been linked to our national Guidelines for Carers for healthcare services and professionals. These guidelines regulate how services should work with and meet carers, both in the system as well as in direct contact .
The Carers agreement consists of a form and guidelines to the form, a webinar from the launch of the agreement on September 18th and a tool kit on how to implement and invite carers to the first meeting to talk about the agreement.
The goal – Partners in care
The Carers agreement seek to identify and map these areas:
- The carers is given a contact person
- The carers are asked if there is taska they do or don’t want to do
- They are asked “What is important for you as a carer”
- The carers are asked if there are other important matters the services should now
The services will inform the carers about
- The right to information and support
- The services that will be given from the municipality to the patient
- Other services available
- How services and the carer will stay in touch
- What to do if anything unforeseen happens
- Evaluation since last meeting
- Next catch up how and when
A big step to make a “team of care” around the patient/user
Pårørendealliansen is very happy for this Carers agreement! We have been a part of the team working out the concept and believe it will make a great difference for those who need it most and have to cooperate with home services a lot.
- Finally the voice of these carers can be heard in a formal way. The carers are recognized as a part of the team and their needs will be addressed in the conversations of the agreement. This will help the health services as well, to know who these carers are and to have a better understanding of what they need. We can prevent carers from burn out and the services will have better knowledge of the patients’ needs as well.
- Cooperating with carers will help the professional care and family care to work closer as a team, which again is good for the carers, says Anita Vatland, CEO of Pårørendealliansen
Now the work is starting to make the Carers agreement known to health professionals and to introduce it as a tool for better cooperation with carers out in the over 300 municipalities of Norway.
Please read our news about the launch and find all relevant links at our website:
Endelig kommer Pårørendeavtalen! | Pårørendealliansen (parorendealliansen.no)
If you need further information, please contact Anita Vatland ava@parorendealliansen.no
