Resident and Caregiver Dyads Talk About Death and Dying in Assisted Living: A Typology of Communication Behaviors.
Am J Hosp Palliat Care
; 41(9): 1011-1017, 2024 Sep.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38242860
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In the U.S., assisted living (AL) is increasingly a site of death, and anxiety about dying has been identified in long-term care residents and their caregivers. Communication about death and dying is associated with better quality of life and care at end of life (EOL).OBJECTIVE:
To understand communication behaviors used by AL residents and their informal caregivers (i.e., family members or friends) related to death and dying, and address communication needs or opportunities applicable to EOL care in AL.DESIGN:
A thematic analysis of in-depth interviews and fieldnotes from a subsample of data from a 5-year NIA-funded study. SETTING/SUBJECTS:
Participants included 15 resident-caregiver dyads from three diverse AL communities in Atlanta, Georgia in the U.S. MEASUREMENTS Interview transcripts were coded for communication behavior. Concordances and discordances within dyads were examined.RESULTS:
We identified a typology of four dyadic communication behaviors Talking (i.e., both partners were talking with each other about death), Blocking (i.e., one partner wanted to talk about death but the other did not), Avoiding (i.e., each partner perceived that the other did not want to communicate about death), and Unable (i.e., dyads could not communicate about death because of interpersonal barriers).CONCLUSIONS:
Older residents in AL often want to talk about death but are blocked from doing so by an informal caregiver. Caregivers and AL residents may benefit from training in death communication. Recommendations for improving advance care planning and promoting better EOL communication includes timing these conversations before the opportunity is lost.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Cuidado Terminal
/
Familia
/
Cuidadores
/
Comunicación
Tipo de estudio:
Qualitative_research
Aspecto:
Patient_preference
Límite:
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Am J Hosp Palliat Care
Asunto de la revista:
ENFERMAGEM
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos