Social networks of neighbourhood inhabitants, residents of a care facility, and the nursing staff: a case study in two LTF facilities in the Netherlands

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundSocial resources have the potential to relieve the pressure on long‐term care facilities due to population ageing and staff shortages. This is because social networks can constitute the link between residents, staff members of LTC facilities and members of the local community. In this paper we describe these social networks and the relationships of which they consist in two LTC facilities that provide dementia care in the Netherlands, thereby illustrating the social capital of both facilities.MethodsStaff members of the dementia ward in two LTC facilities, family members of residents and inhabitants of the neighbourhoods surrounding the LTC facilities were asked to complete questionnaires.ResultsThere are direct and indirect relationships between nursing staff, family members of residents and inhabitants of the neighbourhood. Staff know residents both directly, and indirectly through connections with other persons in the community. There is regular contact between staff members and family members of residents during visits of family members; one third of nursing staff also talk to family members outside the LTC facility. Furthermore, staff members often live close to the facility and are therefore connected to inhabitants of the neighbourhood. About half of the neighbourhood inhabitants visited the LTC facility during the past 12 months for various reasons. More than half of the neighbourhood inhabitants know persons that work in the LTC facility, one in five knows a staff member working on the dementia ward. In total, 8% of the neighbourhood inhabitants in our study worked as a volunteer in the LTC facilities.ConclusionThe network of the LTC facilities’ staff, residents with dementia, and local community consists of many direct and indirect relationships. Although it is difficult for residents with dementia to uphold their social networks, there are numerous ties that demonstrate the pre‐existing social relationships of persons with dementia in the community that can be employed to provide person‐centred care. The embeddedness of LTC facilities can also be considered as a resource in finding and retaining personnel and volunteers, as most of the staff live in the neighbourhood and volunteers are often in close proximity.