Families and assisted living

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology of Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Assisted living (AL) is a growing residential care option for older adults.
• The social impact of transitioning to AL on residents and their families is under-researched.
• Understanding family dynamics is crucial for comprehensive elder care models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the extent and nature of family involvement in assisted living.
• To explore the structures of resident families and the types of involvement by external family members.
• To investigate the outcomes experienced by family members involved in assisted living care.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of studies on assisted living and family/informal care.
• Searches conducted across MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases.
• Inclusion of 62 selected studies after initial screening of 180 reports.

Main Results:

• Families frequently visit residents and provide significant instrumental assistance.
• Family provision of personal care to assisted living residents is minimal.
• Family members report high satisfaction but also indicate a potential for care burden.

Conclusions:

• The interplay between family care, formal AL care, and their integration requires further clarification.
• Research is needed to establish causal links between family involvement and outcomes.
• Future studies should differentiate family roles and employ longitudinal designs to assess diverse family outcomes.