Family relationship quality after admission to a long‐term facility

Abstract

In Canada the provincial and territorial governments determine the nature of health benefits and the organisation of services in the acute and long-term care sectors; this results in variations in definitions and services between jurisdictions (Pitters, 2002). However, a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2005) distinguishes between two types of long-term care facilities that are provided in Canada. Nursing homes provide long-term skilled nursing care for people with high care needs, while residential care homes provide support and social care for those who require 22

Staff perspectives of relationships in aged care: A qualitative approach

“…Staff from RACFs suggested that what they perceived as superfluous care demands and expectations from residents' families might be attributed to their attempts in assuaging feelings of guilt. Transition into RACFs has been known to have a negative effect on the relationship between older people and their families as they adjust to the change in environment and role . Further research is needed to explore the influence of RACF transition on staff relationships with older people and their families.…”

‘If it weren't for me…’: perspectives of family carers of older people receiving professional care

“…Also some explorative studies convey a more positive picture of experiences from family caregiving, claiming that while caregiving is strenuous, it can still be satisfying, leading to a feeling of personal growth and an improved relationship with the care receiver . Weeks, in her study from Canada, finds that family carers are happy to be able to continue their relationship with their older relatives after they have been admitted to long‐term residential care, and some even experience an improvement in their relationships . An earlier Australian interview study of daughters caring for mothers with dementia found that the caring role was experienced as constructive and meaningful in a double sense; both as an effort to enhance the ageing mother's quality of life and for the adult daughter's self‐image and social identity .…”