Family caregivers' attitudes toward aging, caregiving, and nursing home placement.

Nursing home placement (NHP) is stressful both for older adults and for their family caregivers. This descriptive survey research investigated family caregivers' attitudes toward aging, their emotional appraisal of nursing home placement, and their reactions to caregiving roles. Eighty-eight survey packets were mailed and 35 usable packets were returned for a response rate of 39.5%. Sixty-four percent of the respondents were age 65 or older. Respondents reported that they felt "privileged to care" for their residents and that caregiving had little impact on their personal schedules. Further, they did not feel abandoned by other family members. Fifty percent reported feelings of sadness when thinking about nursing home placement though they indicated that they were mostly pleased. The respondents had mostly positive attitudes about aging. It may be that those who responded to the survey were coping at a high level. Caregiver reactions might differ in the group that did not respond. Included are specific nursing implications and needs for further research.