Family‐oriented interventions in long‐term care residential facilities for older people: A scoping review of the characteristics and outcomes

Abstract

Introduction Family‐oriented interventions in long‐term care (LTC) residential facilities are heterogenous in design, characteristics, and outcomes. Objectives To synthesize characteristics (e.g., type, provider, and duration) and outcomes of family‐oriented interventions in LTC residential facilities. Methods We followed the JBI methodology and searched seven databases for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies that reported family‐oriented interventions in LTC residential settings for older people; defined in this review as ≥60 years. Interventions that included residents, resident families, health professionals, or any combinations of these three were included if the study reported post‐intervention assessment of at least one family‐related outcome. Results Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions were found to be multifaceted, and education was the most common element. Nurses were the most common intervenors, and most interventions had more than one target (residents, resident families, or staff). Most outcomes were related to family involvement, satisfaction with care, quality of life, communication, symptom management, and shared decision making, and none of the studies reported a negative impact. Conclusions Family‐oriented interventions were associated with high care quality and better resident‐staff‐family partnership. Staff education and staff‐family conversation are relatively cheap interventions to help family involvement, facilitate shared decision‐making, and improve family satisfaction.

Family Involvement Training for Staff and Family Caregivers: Case Report on Program Design and Mixed Methods Evaluation

“…Gaugler recommended engagement with a range of multilevel stakeholder perspectives in program design, including senior leadership, legal, policy, communication, family, and resident. Our documentation of the planning and implementation process responds to reviewers' recommendations for more comprehensive intervention descriptions to facilitate the replication of family involvement programs [10,13,38,39]. This Family Involvement Program formalized family caregivers' role in long-term care.…”