The role of community staff in care home placement in Sweden

The role of community staff in placing a relative in a care home is a relatively unexplored area of practice. Interviews with a variety of community staff in Sweden suggest that they play a significant role in helping family carers, particularly spouses, research the decision about the need for placement. This role can include recognition that placement is required (seeing the need), initiating and sustaining discussions about placement (sowing the seed and nurturing the seed) and legitimating the decision. However, once the decision has been made relatively little attention is given to the emotional consequences of the move and attention is focused largely on instrumental aspects. Despite showing sensitivity in the decision-making phase, community staff could do more to help carers deal with the guilt they experience and to initiate contact with the care home.