Family Involvement and Resident Psychosocial Status in Long-Term Care

While prior research has suggested that family involvement is key to the psychosocial adaptation of long-term care residents, few studies directly test this assertion. The current study interviewed 79 residents, their primary family members, primary staff persons, and administrators recruited from 5 nursing homes, 5 assisted living facilities, and 16 family care homes in Kentucky. Regression models indicated that facility family orientation and family involvement in care conferences were linked to greater resident well-being (i.e., sense of aesthetics, or ability to appreciate beauty in one's surroundings), while families who transported residents to appointments outside of facilities had relatives with a lower sense of aesthetics. The results imply that family involvement may be associated with both positive and negative resident psychosocial outcomes, and have important scientific and clinical implications in the promotion of family involvement in residential long-term care.