Understanding the Experience of Moving a Loved One to a Long-Term Care Facility

Abstract

This project was designed to develop an understanding of family members' experiences of moving a loved one to a long-term care facility and to identify ways in which facilities might help ease this process. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with family members who had recently moved a relative into one of three long-term care facilities in Southern Ontario, Canada. Several factors appeared to contribute to the overall experience of the move to long-term care and either served to impede or facilitate a positive transition for families. These factors included: the experience during the waiting process, preparation for the move, ease of the actual move, control over decisions, communication throughout the process, support from others, and family and resident perceptions and attitudes towards the move. Easing the difficult aspects of moving a loved one to a long-term care setting can be facilitated with better preparation and support from facilities and community services.

Family members' strategies when their elderly relatives consider relocation to a residential home — Adapting, representing and avoiding

“…'Ambivalence' also bridges different lines of previous research referred to in the text: one line focusing primarily on enduring ties and value consensus (e.g. Dellasega & Nolan, 1997;Flynn Reuss, Dupuis & Whitfield, 2005;Strang, 22 Koop, Dupuis-Blanchard, Nordstrom, et al, 2006), the other primarily on caregiver stress and conflicts (e.g. Chenier, 1997;Coehlo, Hooker & Bowman, 2007;Dellasega & Mastrian, 1995).…”

“…As concerns family members, in several countries they are increasingly expected to play a more significant role both in the initial decision to seek help and subsequently in selecting a residential home (Davies & Nolan, 2003;Dellasega & Mastrian, 1995;McAuley, Travis & Safewright, 1997). Correspondingly, previous research within the area has largely been focused on the family members' uncertainty and their need to validate the decisions they make (Dellasega & Mastrian, 1995;Penrod & Dellasega, 1998;Ryan & Scullion, 2000), as well as on the lack of available information and support mechanisms (Flynn Reuss, et al, 2005;Kellett, 1999). Sandberg, Lundh & Nolan (2002) have studied the roles of adult children who support a caregiving parent in the placement process of an often life-long partner.…”

“…Family members in the younger generation, on the other hand, were engaged in trying to handle the waiting period prior to formal decisions (cf. Fjelltun, et al, 2009;Flynn Reuss, et al, 2005), as well as their elderly relative's hesitation in the decision-making process.…”

A qualitative study of older people with minimal care needs experiences of their admission to a nursing home with Registered Nurse care

“…Findings from the Care Quality Commission (2010) indicated that almost half of users of adult inpatient services were "definitely" not involved in decisions about their care to the extent they wanted. Carers may consider that the responsibility associated with looking after an older adult in their own home is unmanageable (Penrod and Dellasega, 2001) and describe a sense of relief on care home admission of a relative (Reuss, 2005). Further, the potential for older adults to return to the community following admission to a care home is enhanced if a family member is supportive of the decision to return home (Arling et al, 2010).…”

Caregiver Perspectives on Transitions to Assisted Living and Memory Care

“…10 Studies have also examined perspectives of residents who transitioned to different levels of care (ALF or SNF) within a CCRC, 19 stress experienced by family caregivers associated with the transfer of a relative to a long-term care facility, 20 and risk factors associated with the ALF to SNF transition. 21 Seven qualitative research studies have examined transitions from ALFs.…”