Background: Families in Singapore are primarily involved in the care of their relatives with intellectual disabilities and the study aimed to explore their experiences taking care of their relatives with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems.
Method: Nine unpaid family carers were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Results: Analysis revealed four themes 1) Making sense of behaviours; 2) Staff are the experts; 3) Public reaction and 4) Worries and hopes for the future.
Conclusions: Family carers found it difficult to identify and manage the mental health symptoms of their relatives and sought help from specialist mental health professionals. They were satisfied with the specialist services and found psychotropic medication helpful to reduce the symptoms. Family carers expressed worries about their relative not being accepted by the public and did not make future care plans. More resources are needed to increase accessibility of specialist mental health services for people with intellectual disabilities. It is recommended for service providers to collaborate with family carers and provide them with resources and skills to empower them to care for their relatives with intellectual disabilities.
Keywords: Caregivers; Intellectual disabilities; Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis; Qualitative research; Services.
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