Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Family members often continue to support older relatives who have transitioned to long-term residential care (LTRC). This paper explores the roles of family members- the majority of whom are women-who support relatives in LTRC. Findings are then contrasted with guidelines for family involvement provided in 'resident and family handbooks.' Our analysis is based on qualitative interviews with 25 family members, observations, and document analysis in eight LTRC facilities across Canada. This research forms one part of a larger project that seeks to identify promising practices in LTRC through in-depth, qualitative interviews and observations in LTRC facilities in Canada and internationally. Based on interviews with family members and observations, we identify four themes that give insight into the roles of family members in LTRC: maintaining family relationships, navigating the system to assert residents' needs, supplementing care, and working for change. While resident and family handbooks acknowledge family members' involvement in maintaining family relationships, they tend not to recognize the various other aspects of family members' work. Discrepancies between family involvement in practice, and descriptions of family involvement in guiding documents, tend to reinforce the invisibility of unpaid family care work. Family involvement in LTRC is valued by residents, who benefit from social interaction and companionship, and by family members themselves, who often appreciate the opportunity to spend time with their relatives. This research seeks to develop a better understanding of the roles and contributions of family members in LTRC. This knowledge can help us to develop policies and practices that are inclusive of family members, and that enable them to be involved in LTRC in meaningful ways. In turn, this knowledge can support the well-being of LTRC residents as well as their family members.