Family caregiving in long-term care facilities.

Family caregiving within institutional settings is a neglected area of research In an era of cost containment, more and more is being asked of families of institutionalized persons. This article presents the results of a study designed to investigate family caregiving following the admission of an elderly relative to a long-term care facility. Beginning with a brief summary of findings from previous research, the article reports on visiting and task performance by families within the long-term care facility. Continuing with descriptions of families' satisfaction with institutional care and their care-related learning needs, the article concludes with recommendations for policy and practice.