Factors influencing decisions to admit family members with dementia to long-term care facilities.

With an aging global population and changes in family structure, there will be a need for increased formal and informal caregivers for family members with alzheimer's disease or other related dementias. Caregivers experience exhaustion, mental health issues, and competing demands; deciding to admit family members with dementia into long-term care compounds the stress. The article reports on factors that influence caregivers' decisions regarding institutionalizing their family members with dementia. Eighteen articles were included in this integrative review. Influential decision-making factors were: caregiver characteristics, care recipient characteristics, complexity of care, caregiver and family relationships, experiences with healthcare providers, financial challenges, and long-term care facility selection. Addressing these factors can provide a layer of support to caregivers and their families during the decision-making process.