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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 May 29.
Published in final edited form as: J Gerontol Nurs. 2010 Apr 22;36(9):22–35. doi: 10.3928/00989134-20100330-02

Table 4.

The Three Overarching Themes Drawn From Family Caregivers’, Older Adult Patients’, and Nurses’ Responses (N=67) on Facilitators to Participation in the Fam-HELP

Theme Facilitator Example Recommendations for Practice
Partnership (n=55, 82%)

  • Respect

  • Trust

  • Negotiation

 “Mom’s nurses and I had an open, evolving line of communication and I really felt they valued and respected my input into her care making me feel I was no longer alone in the burden of keeping her safe.”
  • Staff education to enhance nurse-family partnerships including:
    1. Spending time with patients and families
    2. Showing empathy
    3. Respecting family opinions
    4. Supporting a non-hurried environment
    5. Explaining treatments

  • Written materials for families about Fam-HELP
(Family caregiver)
Therapeutic Relationships (n=56, 84%)

  • Connecting with the person

  • Time

  • Support

 “The nurse took the time to speak with us, calmed my wife’s nerves about walking with me when I was ill. She shared with us how her own mom had recently been in the hospital, and even though she was a nurse, she too was afraid to help her engage in her usual activities because she was so sick. I felt like we were talking human to human, person to person, instead of being told what to do. Her reassurance and encouragement was based not only on her ‘book smarts’ but also her own life experience. My wife and I now felt we had an ally in the whole impersonal hospital environment.”
  • Support for nurses to build therapeutic relationships with patients and families through:
    1. Patient/family education
    2. Gaining knowledge of the patient and family’s needs
    3. Communication skills that convey empathy and support
(Family caregiver)
Environment (n=50, 75%)

  • Adequate physical space

  • Privacy

  • Adequate staffing

 “When the unit was adequately staffed, I felt like I could maximize the patient and family caregiver’s potential for participation….I was more able to cluster nursing care thus minimizing interruptions and could allow them the space, quiet time and privacy they needed to complete the activities while still being accessible.”

  • Organizational and leadership commitment to a hospital environment with adequate space, privacy, and minimized distractions

  • Adequate staffing levels so that staff nurses have time to answer patient and family questions
(Staff nurse)