Nursing home placement: the daughter's perspective

The decision for nursing home placement of a parent has been identified as one of the most difficult decisions for adult children to make. These decisions are made in a family context and are characterized by moral dilemmas. Expressions of loss of attachment or bonding, desires to maintain affective roles with parents following admission, and hurt avoidance for parents, family, and self appear in the decision for nursing home placement and are carried through into the actual admission. Knowledge about adult daughter's perceptions surrounding the decision for nursing home placement can aid nursing staff in anticipatory socialization for daughter and parent. Involvement of daughters in the decision for placement and the period immediately after admission could promote family interactions, foster trust in building relationships with the staff, and possibly decrease the incidence of relocation to other nursing homes.