Abstract
Background:Having a family member living in a residential home affects the entire family and can be hard to handle. Family members require encouraging and open communication support from nurses during and after relocation to a residential home. A Family Systems Nursing intervention, “Family Health Conversations” (FamHC) was conducted in order to strengthen the health of families having relatives at residential home for older people.Objectives:The aims of this study were to evaluate the responses to the Family Health Conversations in families with a member living at a residential home for older people and to integrate the empirical results with a theoretical assumption upon which the intervention was based.Methods:A mixed methods research design was used. The Swedish Health-Related Quality of Life Survey and the Family Hardiness Index were administered before and 6 months after the intervention. Qualitative data was collected by semi-structured interviews with each family 6 months post-intervention. The sample included 10 families comprising 22 family members.Result:Main finding was that FamHCs helped family members process their feelings about having a member living at a residential home and made it easier for them to deal with their own situations. FamHCs helped to ease their consciences, improve their emotional well-being, and change their beliefs about their own insufficiency and guilt. Seeing problems from a different perspective facilitated the families’ thinking in a new way.Conclusion:These findings showed that FamHC could be an important type of intervention to improve family functioning and enhance the emotional well-being.
Highlights
When a family member moves into or lives in a residential home for older people, it affects that resident, and the entire family
Seeing problems from a different perspective facilitated the families’ thinking in a new way. These findings showed that Family Health Conversations” (FamHC) could be an important type of intervention to improve family functioning and enhance the emotional well-being
We suggest the following theoretical assumption concerning responses to and effects of FamHCs: Family Health Conversations create a context for change and support the creation of new beliefs, new meanings, and new opportunities to manage the problems described by the family
Summary
When a family member moves into or lives in a residential home for older people, it affects that resident, and the entire family. Some studies have shown that relocation to a residential home is a distressing experience for family members [1 - 3]. This transition often occurs when the family’s burden of caring for their older relative increases beyond their capacity [4]. Studies have shown that family members will remain involved in the lives of their sick relative following placement in residential homes for older people [8, 9], and as a result, their need for support is important [10]. A Family Systems Nursing intervention, “Family Health Conversations” (FamHC) was conducted in order to strengthen the health of families having relatives at residential home for older people
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