The transition to a nursing home: Meeting the family's needs

The view of this experience as a family transition also supports the concept of continuity of care through nursing interventions and provides direction for family interventions that may alleviate the extent of uncertainty and conflict before the admission and serve as ongoing family-centered activity in the nursing home.

Abstract

The lack of preparation for the experience of admission to a nursing home, as represented by these family members, indicates there is a need for nursing interventions targeted to the family before the admission of a loved one to the nursing home. The program could address information and problem solving, as well as provide emotional support. The day of admission is too late to prepare for this experience. Access to families occurs before any admission to LTCFs. Nurses in acute care and home care are in a position to inform, assist, and advocate for families in this decision-making and admission process. The family members we questioned have provided some of the content for an educational preparation program that may be useful to all families. The responses also indicate that each family will have its own concerns and functional relationships that would alter specific content. Maslow's framework could aid the identification of needs and direct the specific interventions to empower the family to cope with this transition. A few guidelines have been suggested in this article to stimulate discussion about the family's transition to the nursing home. Appraisal of a family's perceptions about the use of nursing homes may alert the nurse to potential conflicts and areas of uncertainty. These assessments provide direction for family interventions that may alleviate the extent of uncertainty and conflict before the admission and serve as ongoing family-centered activity in the nursing home. The view of this experience as a family transition also supports the concept of continuity of care through nursing interventions.