title: Improving family-staff relationships in assisted living facilities: the views of family.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article is a report of a study of the key influences on family-staff collaboration in low level residential aged care (assisted living) facilities in Australia as seen by the family carers of residents.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Collaboration with the willing family is widely acknowledged to be important in the care of the older person. Previous work in nursing homes has shown that staff-family relationships are often ambiguous. Relatively little is known about the issue of staff-family relationships in assisted living facilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using qualitative methodology twelve family carers from five assisted living facilities were interviewed and transcripts analysed thematically. Data were collected in 2006/2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four factors important to the establishment and maintenance of collaborative staff-family relationships were identified: comfort, communication, consultation and confidence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low level care facilities need to create environments that are conducive to the establishment and maintenance of constructive staff-family relationships. A number of practice considerations for care staff to foster relationship-centred care with the family in these types of facilities are presented.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nursing and Midwifery, Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia. m.bauer@latrobe.edu.au
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nay
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006272:Health Facility Environment / Q000458:organization & administration; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D010360:Patient Transfer; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014789:Visitors to Patients / Q000523:psychology