Communicating emotional support: family caregivers’ visits with residents living with dementia in nursing homes

ABSTRACT

This study characterized emotional connections between largely female caregivers and female care recipients with dementia living in nursing homes with the research question: How does interpersonal communication between family caregivers and older adults with dementia convey enacted emotional support? Ten dyads (8 with at least one female) of regularly-involved family caregivers (7 female; 3 male) and their relatives with dementia (5 female; 5 male) were videotaped. Qualitatively, three themes emerged: 1) distinct conversational topics, 2) shared physical proximity and silence, and 3) catalysts for natural interaction. These findings may help improve the quality of life of these predominantly female dyads.

KEYWORDS:

• Dementia
• caregiving
• communication

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the American Medical Directors’ Association. The authors thank the staff, families, and residents who participated in this research.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.