Facilitating Family Life Review during a Relocation to Assisted Living: Exploring Contextual Impact on Family Adjustment

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore how contextual aspects of participants’ lives before and throughout relocation to assisted living (ALF) informed family experience of family life review (FLR).

Method: Fourteen families participated in a single FLR session within 6 months of the older adults’ relocation. Semi-structured interviews, conducted one-month following the FLR session, were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Demographic and relational variables provided context for assessing how individual and family dynamics influenced the family relocation process.

Results: Techniques were used during the three phases of FLR (introduction, validation, consolidation) to encourage openness and mutual dialogue between family members. Health-related limitations challenged older adults’ understanding and openness during the FLR. Mental health concerns linked to older adults’ outlook on life, comfort in conversation during the FLR, and reflection of lifelong social ties. Family involvement and dynamics influenced how families communicated about their mutual narrative and the relocation transition.

Conclusion: FLR is an adaptable intervention to assist older adults and their family during a transition to ALF. Although contextual challenges impacted how families experienced the FLR, they enjoyed FLR as a unifying event that promoted mutual understanding.

Clinical Implications: The use of FLR facilitates enhanced understanding and communication during relocation. Older adults’ health status as well as family dynamics need to be assessed prior to organizing a FLR to accommodate each families’ unique needs.

KEYWORDS:

• Assisted living
• ifamily transitions
• life review
• relocation

Notes

1. In two cases, family friends were selected to participate in the project; they are referred to as family members throughout the article.