Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T09:58:25.971Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The social lives of rural Australian nursing home residents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2011

GLENDA PARMENTER ,
MARY CRUICKSHANK  and
RAFAT HUSSAIN
GLENDA PARMENTER*
Affiliation:
School of Health, University of New England, Australia.
MARY CRUICKSHANK
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Australia.
RAFAT HUSSAIN
Affiliation:
School of Rural Medicine, University of New England, Australia.
*
Address for correspondence: Glenda Parmenter, School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia. E-mail: gparment@une.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Contact with family and friends, in the form of visiting, is very important to the quality of the lives of rural nursing home residents. However, there has been little recent research that examines the frequency and determinants of visits to rural nursing homes and none in the rural Australian context. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature. A telephone survey with a close family member (N=257) of each participating resident in the rural New England area of New South Wales, Australia gathered data about 3,738 people who formed the potential social networks of these residents. This study found that the wider, potential, social networks of rural nursing home residents comprised approximately 17 people and involved a wide range of family and friends. However, their actual social networks consisted of approximately two females, daughters and friends, who had high-quality relationships with the resident and who visited at least once per month. In contrast to previous assertions that nursing home residents have robust support from their family and friends, the actual social networks of these residents have dwindled considerably over recent years, which may place them at risk of social isolation. This study has implications for nursing home policy and practice and recommendations for addressing the risk of social isolation that rural nursing home residents face are made.

Keywords

aged carenursing homeruralsocial networkvisitingfamily
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , February 2012 , pp. 329 - 353
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006. Australian Social Trends: Population Distribution, Youth Migration Within Australia. Available online at http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/8676991b6b82ef8bca256d39001bc338?OpenDocument [Accessed 5 June 2008].Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2004 a. Residential Aged Care in Australia 2002–2003: A Statistical Overview. Aged Care Statistics Series No. 18, AIHW Cat. No. AGE 38, AIHW, Canberra.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2004 b. Rural, Regional and Remote Health: A Guide to Remoteness Classifications. AIHW Cat. No. PHE 53, AIHW, Canberra.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2009. Australia's Welfare 2009. Australia's Welfare Series No. 9, Cat. No. AUS 117, AIHW, Canberra.Google Scholar
Barker, J. C. 2002. Neighbours, friends and other non-kin caregivers of community-living dependent elders. Journals of Gerontology, 57B, S158–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barr, F. and Russell, C. 2007. Social capital among older residents of a coastal resort: a survey of social resources and vulnerabilities. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 26, 2, 94–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bennett, K. M. 2002. Low level social engagement as a precursor of mortality among people in later life. Age and Ageing, 31, 165–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bitzan, J. E. and Kruzich, J. M. 1990. Interpersonal relationships of nursing home residents. The Gerontologist, 30, 3, 385–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bourgeois, M., Fried-Oken, M. and Rowland, C. 2010, AAC strategies and tools for persons with dementia. The ASHA Leader, March, 8–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brody, E. M., Dempsey, N. P. and Pruchno, R. A. 1990. Mental health of sons and daughters of the institutionalised aged. The Gerontologist, 30, 2, 212–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown-Wilson, C., Davies, S. and Nolan, M. 2009. Developing personal relationships in care homes: realising the contributions of staff, residents and family members. Ageing & Society, 29, 1041–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, J. M. and Linc, L. G. 1996. Support groups for visitors in nursing homes. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 22, 2, 30–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Campbell, L. D. and Martin-Matthews, A. 2003. The gendered nature of men's filial care. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58B, 6, S350–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chappell, N. L. 1996. The sociological meaning of caregiving and social support: issues for older people, the family and community. In Minichiello, V., Chappell, N., Kendig, H. and Walker, A. (eds), Sociology of Aging: International Perspectives. International Sociological Association Research Committee on Aging, Sheffield, UK, 148–51.Google Scholar
Cloutier-Fisher, D. and Joseph, A. E. 2000. Long-term care restructuring in rural Ontario: retrieving community service user and provider narratives. Social Science and Medicine, 50, 1037–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook, G. 2006. The risk to enduring relationships following the move to a care home. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 1, 182–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook, G. and Brown-Wilson, C. 2010. Care home residents' experiences of social relationships with staff. Nursing Older People, 22, 1, 24–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corcoran, S., James, E. L. and Ellis, J. M. 2005. Do elderly Victorians in rural areas have access to public transport? Road and Transport Research, 14, 1, 38–43.Google Scholar
Courtney, M., Minichiello, V. and Waite, H. 1997. Aged care in Australia: a critical review of the reforms. Journal of Ageing Studies, 11, 3, 229–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cummings, S. M. and Cockerman, C. 2004. Depression and life satisfaction in assisted living residents: impact of health and social support. Clinical Gerontologist, 27, 25–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doherty, D., Wright, S., Aveyard, B. and Sykes, M. 2006. Therapeutic touch and dementia care: an ongoing journey. Nursing Older People, 18, 11, 27–30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Douglas, E. and Davis, J. A. 1994. Carers of the dependent elderly. In Davis, J. A. (ed.), Older Australians: A Positive View of Ageing. Saunders, Sydney, 119–33.Google Scholar
Edwards, H., Courtney, M. and O'Reilly, M. 2003. Involving older people in research to examine quality of life in residential care. Quality in Ageing, 4, 4, 38–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fozard, J. L. 2005. Gerotechnology: optimising changing relationships between older people and changing technology. In Minichiello, V. and Coulson, I. (eds), Contemporary Issues in Gerontology: Promoting Positive Ageing. Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 241–69.Google Scholar
Gaugler, J. E., Anderson, K. A. and Leach, C. R. 2003. Predictors of family involvement in residential long-term care. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 42, 1, 3–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaugler, J. E., Zarit, S. H. and Pearlin, L. I. 2003. Family involvement following institutionalisation: modelling nursing home visits over time. The International Journal of Ageing and Human Development, 57, 2, 91–117.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gibson, D., Braun, P. and Liu, Z. 2002. Spatial equity in the distribution of aged care services in Australia. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 21, 2, 80–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giles, L. C., Glonek, G. F. V., Luszez, M. A. and Andrews, G. R. 2005. Effect of social networks on 10 year survival in very old Australians: the Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 59, 574–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gleeson, M. and Timmins, F. 2004. Touch: a fundamental aspect of communication with older people experiencing dementia. Nursing Older People, 16, 2, 18–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greene, V. L. and Monahan, D. J. 1982. The impact of visitation on patient well-being in nursing homes. The Gerontologist, 22, 40, 418–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Healy, M. J. R. 2001. Multilevel data and their analysis. In Leyland, A. H. and Goldstein, H. (eds), Multilevel Modelling of Health Statistics. Wiley, Chichester, UK, 1–12.Google Scholar
Hensel, B. K., Parker-Oliver, D. and Demiris, G. 2007. Videophone communication between residents and family: a case study. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 8, 123–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hook, W., Sobal, J. and Oak, J. C. 1982. Frequency of visitation in nursing homes: patterns of contact across the boundaries of total institutions. The Gerontologist, 22, 4, 424–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hubbard, G., Tester, S. and Downs, M. G. 2003. Meaningful social interactions between older people in institutional care settings. Ageing & Society, 23, 99–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judge, K. S., Yarry, S. J. and Orsulic-Jeras, S. 2010. Acceptability and feasibility results of a strength-based skills training program for dementia caregiving dyads. The Gerontologist, 50, 3, 408–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keefe, J. and Fancey, P. 1997. Family visitation patterns: a Canadian perspective on family visitation patterns. Canadian Nursing Home, 8, 2, 20–3.Google Scholar
Keefe, J. and Fancey, P. 2000. The care continues: responsibility for elderly relatives before and after admission to a long term care facility. Family Relations, 49, 3, 235–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kellett, U. 2007. Seizing possibilities for positive family caregiving in nursing homes. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16, 1479–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kellett, U., Moyle, W., McAllister, M., King, C. and Gallagher, F. 2010. Life stories and biography: a means of connecting family and staff to people with dementia. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19, 1707–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelley, L. S., Swanson, E., Maas, M. L. and Tripp-Reimer, T. 1999. Family visitation on special care units. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 25, 2, 14–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marquis, R., Freegard, H. and Hoogland, L. 2004. Influences on positive family involvement in aged care: an ethnographic view. Contemporary Nurse, 16, 178–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCallion, P., Toseland, R. W. and Freeman, K. 1999. An evaluation of a family visit education program. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 47, 203–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCallum, J., Simons, L. A. and Simons, J. 2007. Private lives and public programs: an Australian Longitudinal Study of the Elderly. Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 19, 4, 87–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCann, M., O'Reilly, D. and Cardwell, C. 2009. A census-based longitudinal study of variations in survival amongst residents of nursing and residential homes in Northern Ireland. Age and Ageing, 38, 6, 711–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKee, K., Harrison, G. and Lee, K. 1999. Activity, friendships and wellbeing in residential settings for older people. Aging and Mental Health, 3, 2, 143–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaughlin, D. K. and Jensen, L. 1998. The rural elderly: a demographic portrait. In Coward, R. T. and. Krout, J. A. (eds), Aging in Rural Settings: Life Circumstances and Distinctive Features. Springer, New York, 15–43.Google Scholar
Minichiello, V. 1987. Visitors to nursing homes: few or many? Australian Journal on Ageing, 6, 3, 31–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minichiello, V. 1989. The regular visitors of nursing homes: who are they? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, 25, 2, 260–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moyle, W., Edwards, H. and Clinton, M. 2002. Living with loss: dementia and the family caregiver. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 19, 3, 25–31.Google ScholarPubMed
Mugford, S. and Kendig, H. 1986. Social relations: networks and ties. In Kendig, H. L. (ed.), Ageing and Families: A Social Networks Perspective. Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 38–60.Google Scholar
Naleppa, M. J. 1996. Families and the institutionalised elderly. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 27, 1, 87–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nocon, A. and Pearson, M. 2000. The role of friends and neighbors in providing support for older people. Ageing & Society, 20, 341–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nutley, S. 2003. Indicators of transport and accessibility problems in rural Australia. Journal of Transport Geography, 11, 1, 55–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pallant, J. 2007. SPSS Survival Manual. Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, Australia.Google Scholar
Parahoo, K. 1997. Nursing Research: Principles, Process and Issues. Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Penning, M. J. 1990. Receipt of assistance by elderly people: hierarchical selection and task specificity. The Gerontologist, 30, 2, 220–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Penrod, J. D., Kane, R. A. and Kane, R. L. 2000. Effects of posthospital informal care on nursing home discharge. Research on Ageing, 22, 1, 66–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, C. V. and Goodman, K. J. 2001. Sometimes it is better to use proxy respondents for controls to mimic dead cases: a quasi-empirical analysis. Poster No. 947, Congress of Epidemiology, Toronto, 15 June. Available online at http://epiphi.com [Accessed 27 March 2006].Google Scholar
Phillipson, C., Bernard, M., Phillips, J. and Ogg, J. 2001. The Family and Community Life of Older People: Social Networks and Social Support in Three Urban Areas. Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Piedhniczek-Buczek, J., Riorden, M. E. and Volicer, L. 2007. Family members perception of quality of their visits with relatives with dementia: a pilot study. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 8, 166–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Polit, D. F., Beck, C. T. and Hungler, B. P. 2001. Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods, Appraisal and Utilisation. Fifth edition, Lippincott, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Port, C. L., Gruber-Baldini, A. L., Burton, L. B., Baumbarten, M., Hebel, J. R., Zimmerman, S. I. and Magaziner, J. 2001. Resident contact with family and friends following nursing home admission. The Gerontologist, 42, 5, 589–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Port, C. L., Zimmermna, S., Williams, C. S., Dobbs, D., Preisser, J. S. and Wallace Willimas, S. 2005. Families filling the gap: comparing family involvement for assisted living and nursing home residents with dementia. The Gerontologist, 45, 1, 87–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Powers, B. A. 1992. The roles staff play in the social networks of elderly institutionalised people. Social Science and Medicine, 34, 12, 1335–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, E. and London, E. 2007. Dial-a-ride. Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics, 7, 3, 201–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robison, J., Curry, L., Gruman, C., Porter, M., Henderson, C. R. and Pillemer, K. 2007. Partners in caregiving in a special care environment: cooperation between staff and families on dementia units. The Gerontologist, 47, 4, 504–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodeghier, M. 1996. Surveys with Confidence. SPSS Inc., Chicago.Google Scholar
Roshwalb, A. 1982. Respondent Selection Procedure Within Households. American Statistical Association. Available online at http://www.amstat.org/sections/SRMS/proceedings/papers1982–017.pdf [Accessed 27 March 2006].Google Scholar
Ross, M. M., Rosenthal, C. J. and Dawson, P. G. 1997. Spousal caregiving in the institutional setting: visiting. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 6, 473–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stull, D. E., Cosbey, J., Bowman, K. and McNutt, W. 1997. Institutionalisation: a continuation of family care. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 16, 4, 379–402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tabachnick, B. G. and Fidell, L. S. 2007. Using Multivariate Statistics. Fifth edition, Pearson, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.Google Scholar
Thompson, D., Weber, J. and Juozapavicius, K. 2001. Residents in assisted living facilities and visitation patterns. In Schwartz, B. (ed.), Assisted Living: Sobering Realities. Haworth Press, New York, 147–60.Google Scholar
Tsai, H. H. and Tsai, Y. F. 2010. Older nursing home resident’ experience with videoconferencing to communicate with family members. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19, 1538–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uhlmann, A. J. 2005. The dynamics of stasis: historical inertia in the evolution of the Australian family. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 16, 1, 31–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vanderhorst, R. K. 2005. Social relationships as predictors of depression and suicidal ideation in older adults. Aging and Mental Health, 9, 6, 517–25.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wenger, C. 2001. Myths and realities of ageing in rural Britain. Ageing & Society, 21, 117–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenger, C. 2009. Childlessness at the end of life: evidence from rural Wales. Ageing & Society, 29, 8, 1243–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenger, G. C. 1989. Support networks in old age: constructing a typology. In Jeffreys, M. (ed.), Growing Old in the Twentieth Century. Routledge, London, 166–85.Google Scholar
Yamamoto-Mitani, N., Aneshensel, C. S. and Levy-Storms, L. 2002. Patterns of family visiting with institutionalised elders: the case of dementia. Journals of Gerontology, 57B, 4, S234–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar