Late life relocation for the purpose of receiving care may be one of the more challenging transitions for older adults because of being uprooted from their long-time home and the perceived loss of independence. Of available supportive housing options for older adults, assisted living facilities are growing in popularity. A family life review intervention, with an older adult resident and a selected family member, was facilitated to support older adults transition to assisted living through mutual storytelling and acceptance. Sixteen dyads participated in one, ninety-minute family life review (FLR) session. A semi-structured follow up interview was conducted approximately one month later to explore the perspective of families on participating in FLR during a relocation transition. Emergent themes (e.g., raising emotions in families, seeing self in systems, and navigating the relocation transition) suggest that FLR facilitated positive connections and enhanced existing relationships, ameliorated older adults negative feelings, and promoted an acceptance of self and new family narratives. Participating in the FLR allowed dyads to reflect, during and after the session, on their resilience earlier in life and how this resilience prompted an easier recovery to some of the more challenging components of the relocation transition (e.g., relational challenges with decision making, disagreements with the ALF). Personal and relational factors including the older adults physical health status, mental health concerns (e.g., depression and loneliness), and family involvement and dynamics impacted families experience and openness during the FLR as well as their perspective of the overall intervention process. Avenues for future research and clinical implications include randomized control trials testing the effectiveness of FLR on relationship satisfaction, coping, decision-making, and individual outcomes (e.g., depression, loneliness, life satisfaction) and using family challenges as opportunities for reconciliation and promoting resilience. / Ph. D. / Older adults experience numerous late life transitions, such as retirement, grandparenhood, widowhood, and relocation. Relocation occurs when older adults move from their long-time home to another the home of a family member or to a retirement community, assisted living facility, or nursing home. Assisted living facilities, the fastest growing housing option for older adults in the United States, focus on supporting older adults’ independence and managing their care needs. When older adults move to assisted living they can feel unstable and alone, and desire the support of their family network. The goal of this project was to support the transition to assisted living through participation in a family life review. Family life review (FLR) is a structured tool, facilitated by a researcher or practitioner, aimed at storytelling and mutual reflection. Older adults who moved within the last six months to assisted living participated with a selected family member in one, ninety-minute FLR session. A follow up interview was conducted approximately one month later to learn more about how FLR can shape older adult and family adjustment to the facility, relationship, and perspective of future transitions. Families’ reflections during the follow up included believing the FLR provided new perspective, enhanced existing relationships, alleviated older adults’ negative feelings, and promoted self acceptance. Families were able to reflect on earlier life experiences and consider their own strength and resilience in light of the current transition. Yet, health concerns (e.g., physical mobility) and relationship dynamics (e.g., disagreements about relocation decision-making) linked to how open families were in the FLR and how they were adjusting during the relocation transition. Findings from this research can be used with older adults moving to assisted living to support their desired level of family contact during the relocation transition and lifelong story to aid in their acceptance and adjustment to assisted living.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/85416 |
| Date | 26 April 2017 |
| Creators | O'Hora, Kendra Ann |
| Contributors | Human Development, Roberto, Karen A., Blieszner, Rosemary, Dolbin-MacNab, Megan L., Piercy, Fred P. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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