Influences on positive family involvement in aged care: an ethnographic view.
This paper examines the experiences of family members who have previously been primary carers of residents of residential aged care services to identify factors, which have encouraged them to remain involved in a caring role. The context for this study was a residential aged care facility in Western Australia that was selected on the basis of its reputation of being highly sought after by relatives requiring formal care for older family members and also having a high level of ongoing involvement of relatives. Findings from the study provide evidence of the importance of staff developing relationships with relatives, supporting relatives through the change process and developing care partnerships where relatives could define new caring roles in providing social and emotional support for residents. This study is part of a larger study investigating relational quality in aged care environment.
Marquis
Ruth
R
Division of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia.
Freegard
Heather
H
Hoogland
Litza
L
D000368:Aged; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D001294:Attitude to Health; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009735:Nursing Homes; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012380:Role; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014904:Western Australia