Identifying Changeable Barriers to Family Involvement in the Nursing Home for Cognitively Impaired Residents

Abstract

Purpose: Barriers to family involvement in the nursing home with the potential for change through intervention are examined, including transportation, caregiver health, relationships with staff, and resident characteristics. Design and Methods: Data were collected for 93 family caregiver-resident pairs by means of telephone interviews and chart review. Regression modeling was used to identify relationships between involvement (caregiver visit frequency) and the changeable barriers after the known variables of distance, kinship, payment source, length of stay, and cognitive function were taken into account. Results: Lower visit frequency was found for caregivers reporting problems with transportation, poor relationships with staff, and a smaller network of supportive family and friends. Higher caregiver anxiety was related to higher visit frequency. Implications: Several barriers to family involvement are shown to be as or more influential than ones identified in previous research, thus providing empirical support for interventions currently used as well as suggesting new areas for intervention.

Family Oversight and the Quality of Nursing Home Care for Residents With Advanced Dementia

“…Nonetheless, the distribution of HCP visits was similar to that reported in other studies from the NH setting. (16, 29) At one extreme, our bivariate finding that no visit from the HCP was associated with worse quality of care is consistent with other studies in the general NH population. (14) Regardless of HCP oversight, there is no justifiable explanation for NHs not to provide comparable treatment to all residents aimed at minimizing physical discomfort (i.e., pain, dyspnea, pressure ulcers).…”

“…(31) Thus, it is not surprising that greater family anxiety is reported to be associated with higher visitation frequency. (29) Inadequate communication is a major source of dissatisfaction among family members in the NH setting. (27) As such, greater visitation frequent may reflect the HCPs’ attempt to improve communication.…”

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

“…Det kommer spesielt fram ulikheter i opplevelser ved det å vaere ektefelle sammenliknet med å ha en barn−foreldrerelasjon som pårørende (Hanssen & Sommerseth, 2014). For helsepersonell innebaerer det at det blir viktig å møte pårørende i lys av et familieperspektiv der pårørende står i ulike livssituasjoner praktisk og emosjonelt (Eika et al, 2014;Lindman Port, 2004).…”

“…Pårørendes egne behov blir ofte ikke ansett som pleiepersonalets ansvar (Haesler et al, 2010;Hertzberg, Ekman & Axelsson, 2003). Tidligere forskning har rapportert at pårørende har behov for oppfølging etter at deres naermeste har flyttet til sykehjemmet, både når det gjelder egne og beboernes behov, og at de ønsker å bli involvert (Eika et al, 2014;Hanssen & Sommerseth, 2014;Lindman Port, 2004;Rognstad et al, 2015;Smith, Dewar, Pullin & Tocher, 2010). Forskning i palliativ omsorg viste også at måten helsepersonell møtte de pårørende på, hadde avgjørende betydning for om de opplevde støtte og ivaretakelse av sine behov (Hynne, 2001).…”

Effects of a Psychosocial Intervention on Caregivers of Recently Placed Nursing Home Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Cross-sectional studies of caregivers of institutionalized relatives (Davies & Nolan, 2004; Kaplan & Boss, 1999; Lindman Port, 2004; Montgomery & Kosloski, 1994; Tornatore & Grant, 2002; Whitlatch, Schur, Noelker, Ejaz, & Looman, 2001), as well as longitudinal studies of the institutionalization transition (Zarit & Whitlatch, 1992; Gaugler, Anderson, Zarit, & Pearlin, 2004; Gaugler & Holmes, 2003), challenge the myth that family members abandon their elderly relatives admitted to a long-term care facility. The majority of caregivers visit their relative on a regular basis (Yamamoto-Mitani, Aneshensel, & Levy-Storms, 2002; Keefe & Fancey, 2000) and perform tasks similar to those carried out when the care recipient was living at home, such as feeding, grooming, managing money, shopping, and providing transportation.…”