Family perspectives on the hospice experience in adult family homes

Karla T. Washington, Debra Parker Oliver, George Demiris, Elaine Wittenberg-Lyles, Sara Shaunfield

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Growing numbers of terminally ill older adults receive hospice services in adult family homes (AFHs); however, little is known about the provision and receipt of end-of-life care in such environments. This article reports findings from a qualitative exploration of family members' perspectives of the hospice experience in AFHs. Analysis of data obtained during interviews of 15 residents' family members exposed significant challenges associated with transition to an AFH, highlighted the importance of AFH and hospice staff in family members' assessment of overall quality of care, and emphasized the critical nature of communication in AFH settings.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)159-174
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Gerontological Social Work
Volume54
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 14 2011

Funding

Received 25 May 2010; accepted 26 October 2010. This project was funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Nursing Research Grant R21NR010744 (G. Demiris, Principal Investigator). Address correspondence to Karla T. Washington, MSW, PhD, Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville, 217 Oppenheimer Hall, Louisville, KY 40292, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

Keywords

  • Adult family home
  • Family
  • Hospices
  • Long-term care

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nursing (miscellaneous)
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Family perspectives on the hospice experience in adult family homes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this