Family involvement in residential long-term care: A synthesis and critical review

Abstract

The objective of this review is to critically synthesize the existing literature on family involvement in residential long-term care. Studies that examined family involvement in various long-term care venues were identified through extensive searches of the literature. Future research and practice must consider the complexity of family structure, adopt longitudinal designs, provide direct empirical links between family involvement and resident outcomes, and offer rigorous evaluation of interventions in order to refine the literature. KeywordsFamily Involvement; Nursing Homes; Assisted Living Facilities; Family Care Homes; Family Caregiving; Informal CareOver the past several decades, various research studies have demonstrated that family members remain involved in the lives of their loved ones following placement in residential long-term care facilities (e.g

Pårørende en betinget ressurs? En kvalitativ studie av pårørende til langtidsbeboere i sykehjem sine erfaringer av egen rolle

“…Flere studier underbygger at pårørende på ulike måter følger opp sine naermeste som langtidsbeboere i sykehjem (Gaugler, 2005). Pårørendes involvering er sammensatt av alt fra besøk, sosio-emosjonell støtte, å vaere talsperson, til å gi personlig omsorg (Davies & Nolan, 2006).…”

“…Pårørendes involvering er sammensatt av alt fra besøk, sosio-emosjonell støtte, å vaere talsperson, til å gi personlig omsorg (Davies & Nolan, 2006). Pårørende bidrar til å ivareta beboernes livskvalitet, og det kan se ut som pårørendes involvering også er positivt for kvaliteten på pleien i sykehjemmene (Gaugler, 2005;Grabowski & Mitchell, 2009). Samtidig er det studier som viser at pårørende selv har varierende opplevelser av det å bli pårørende til beboere på sykehjem (Berglund, 2007;Førsund, 2009;Haesler, Bauer & Nay, 2010;Hertzberg, Ekman & Axelsson, 2001).…”

Predictors of Mobility Among Wheelchair Using Residents in Long-Term Care

“…Family visitors offer various forms of assistance to their relatives in residential care. 44 In fact, others report that 50% of family caregivers helped relatives move about in their facilities. 45 Visitors may encourage or help residents to access life spaces inside and outside the facility with greater frequency, although the converse may also be true given our cross-sectional design: residents who have better independent mobility have more frequent visitors.…”

Janus at the Crossroads: Perspectives on Long-term Care Trajectories for Older Women With Dementia in a Canadian Context

“…Another challenge in using the RAI data was that some variables are defined differently in each of the two instruments (e.g., incontinence, chronic conditions). Consistency in how variables are measured and incorporation of comparable data on informal care providers such as the number and gender of adult children, their geographic proximity and ability to provide care, and their own health status and concerns, especially for spousal caregivers would be meaningful (Gaugler, 2005). Because health sector reforms will continue to put different pressures on family caregivers, understanding both their capacities and limitations will remain critically important (Dilworth-Anderson et al, 2011;McCabe et al, 2016).…”

“…By necessity, family members' roles shift across the care journey-from more diverse and intensive primary caring activities in the home, to a range of secondary caring activities on institutionalization (Gaugler, 2005;Moon, 2016). But these shifts can result in increased stress, and burn out, financial strain, social isolation, and reduced quality of life (Gaugler, Kane, Kane, Clay, & Newcomer, 2005;McCabe et al, 2016;Rosenthal et al, 2007).…”