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Changes in Family Involvement Following a Relative's Move to a Long-Term Care Facility*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

James W. Gladstone ,
Sherry L. Dupuis  and
Evelyn Wexler
James W. Gladstone*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, McMaster University
Sherry L. Dupuis
Affiliation:
Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program, University of Waterloo
Evelyn Wexler
Affiliation:
Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Humber College
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to: / Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être addressées à : Professor James W. Gladstone, School of Social Work, KTH-319, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M4. (jwgladstone@aol.com)
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in family involvement following a relative's move to a long-term care facility as well as factors associated with these changes. Qualitative data, using in-depth, active interviews were gathered from 35 family members at two points in time following a relative's move to a facility. Findings showed some changes in contact that were related to personal, social, institutional, and health conditions. Occasionally, new types of care were provided; more often care was rebalanced or expressed in alternative ways. The majority of participants did not view themselves as caregivers, a perception that remained stable over time. Consistent with continuity theory, families, in most cases, tended to seek ways to maintain consistency in their roles as family members and carers, particularly in the first year or so after placement. Nonetheless, facility staff should be aware of the factors that might influence changes over time in family caregiving roles and offer support to families dealing with these issues.

Résumé

L'objectif de cette étude consistait à étudier les changements dans la participation de la famille après le déménagement d'un proche dans un établissement de soins de longue durée ainsi que les facteurs liés à ces changements. Des données quantitatives fondées sur des entrevues actives et approfondies ont été recueillies auprès de 35 membres des familles des patients à deux moments différents après le déménagement de leur proche dans un établissement. Les résultats révèlent certains changements, en matière de contacts, liés aux conditions personnelles, sociales, institutionnelles et médicales. Dans certains cas, de nouveaux types de soins ont été fournis ; dans la plupart des cas les soins ont été redéfinis ou fournis de manières différentes. La plupart des participants ne se voyaient pas comme des prestataires de soins, une perception qui est restée stable au cours du temps. Conformément à la théorie de la continuité, dans la plupart des cas, les familles cherchaient à trouver des manières d'adopter une approche constante en ce qui a trait à leurs rô les de proches et de soignants, surtout au cours de la première année qui a suivi le placement. Le personnel des établissements devrait néanmoins être conscient des facteurs qui peuvent causer des changements au cours du temps, du point de vue du rô le joué par la famille en matière de soins, et offrir du soutien aux familles qui doivent gérer ces questions.

Keywords

agingfamilydementiarole perceptioncontinuity theoryvieillissementfamilledémenceperception des rô lesthéorie de la continuite
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , Spring/Printemps 2006 , pp. 93 - 106
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2006

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Footnotes

*

The authors would like to thank the Alzheimer Society of Canada, Grant #00–05, for their generous support to conduct this research.

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