Gerontology & Geriatric Research

Abstract

The Relationship between Bereaved Family Caregivers and the Hospital Team in Long Term Care: Cases of Home Condolence Visits

Efraim Jaul, Madlena Spivak, Yonit Zabari and Menachem Monnickendam

Condolence visits are an integral part of the therapeutic medical process and contribute to the comprehensive treatment of the “whole” patient. This article describes the spontaneous evolvement of condolence visits by team members of an geriatric skilled nursing department and discusses the ensuing issues and questions as a result. Method and participants: The primary medical team consists of physicians, nurses, and a social worker of the Herzog Geriatric Skilled Nursing Department in Jerusalem, Israel, conducted home condolence visits of deceased patients' families. Inclusion criteria for the study included: 1) at least two week admission and either 2) close knit relationship, more than 10 discussions between staff and family or 3) unique cases in which death was unexpected. 4) The families where the spouse or offspring as the primary caregivers. In this retrospective study the authors initiated a series of discussions with the medical team members who cared for these patients and participated in condolence visits. The discussions focused on understanding the underlying reasons for the occurrence of the spontaneous condolence visits and ensuing issues and questions. Results and discussion: Fifteen cases are included in this study. The primary caregiver was the wife (4), offspring (11), mainly female. Most families included were due to the close knit relationship between family and staff. The recurring themes of the discussion were: Do these visits invade the privacy of the families during the initial mourning period? Are the home visits really a part of the professional treatment? Are these visits confusing the professional and personal boundaries? What purposes do these visits serve? Do these visits benefit the families and \or the staff? Conclusions: Given that the condolence visits are beneficial to team members and probably also to the bereaved family we discuss how should such visits be conducted?