Family and staff partnerships in long-term care. A review of the literature.
Working with the family in aged care to provide the best care possible is consistent with modern nursing philosophy, which espouses holistic care. The quality and enjoyment of the experience, however, is frequently fraught with problems and challenges for both the family and the staff involved. In residential aged care, partnerships are a complex mix of interactions among the older adult resident, the family, and the caregiving staff. To understand how family involvement in this environment can be made more meaningful, nurses need to be cognizant of how family members experience the caregiving role and how they are perceived by nursing home staff and residents. The relevant literature of the past 20 years is reviewed and key issues central to an understanding of "family care" in the nursing home from the perspective of the family, the nursing home resident, and the nursing home staff are highlighted in this article.
Bauer
Michael
M
School of Nursing, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia.
Nay
Rhonda
R
D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D022143:Family Nursing / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D014789:Visitors to Patients / Q000523:psychology