Davies, Sue

Despite a growing awareness of the significance of helping a relative to relocate to a care home as a key phase in the caregiving career, relatively few studies in the UK have explored this experience in depth. The research on which the present paper is based sought to better understand experiences of nursing home placement from the viewpoint of relatives. The study was informed by a constructivist perspective. Data were collected in 37 semi-structured interviews involving 48 people who had assisted a close relative to move into a nursing home.

The article discusses research by Livingston, Leavey, and Manela on dementia and carer involvement and a study by Thuné-Boyle, Sampson, and Jones on the understanding of informal carers' and healthcare professionals of advanced dementia and their attitudes towards end of life care. Livingston's research identified five core problematic areas including accessing dementia-related services, care homes, and legal / financial matters.