title: 'You don't show everyone your weakness': Older adults' views on using Family Group Conferencing to regain control and autonomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Family Group Conferencing (FGC), a model in which a person and his or her social network make their own 'care' plan, is used in youth care and might also be useful in elderly care to support older persons living at home. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, FGC was implemented for older adults but they showed resistance. Reasons for this resistance have been researched and are described in this article. We examine existing views and attitudes of older adults concerning the use of FGC, and report on how older adults see the possibility to regain control over their lives using FGC.
  
  
  METHODS
  To do this, focus group sessions, duo interviews and individual interviews were held with older adults with varying characteristics: living at home, in sheltered housing, or in a home for the elderly; and living in urban, suburban or rural areas. Themes were: views on and contentment with the control and autonomy that they experience in their lives, and the willingness to use FGC to improve this.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main reasons for our respondents to resist FGC were: expecting people to be there for them without a FGC, not feeling ready yet for a FGC, feeling embarrassed when asking for help, being reluctant to open up about their problems, and having the fear of losing control when organizing a FGC. We conclude that, for this generation of older adults, FGC means losing control and autonomy rather than gaining it. To be appealing to older adults, a relational empowerment strengthening model should most likely be focused on reciprocity, peer-to-peer support, and solutions instead of problems.
authors.affiliation: Amsterdam University of Applied Social Sciences, Research Centre for Society and Law, Wibautstraat 5a, 1091 GH Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: r.n.metze@hva.nl.
authors.forename: Rosalie N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Metze
authors.affiliation: Amsterdam University of Applied Social Sciences, Research Centre for Society and Law, Wibautstraat 5a, 1091 GH Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: r.kwekkeboom@hva.nl.
authors.forename: Rick H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Kwekkeboom
authors.affiliation: Dept. Medical Humanities, VU University Medical Centre and EMGO+ Research Institute, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: t.abma@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: Tineke A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Abma
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D030881:Disclosure; D004644:Emotions; D005195:Family Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D000068356:Self-Control; D012944:Social Support
keywords: Autonomy; Control; Family Group Conferencing; Older adults; Social network