Communication in the aging family: Adult sibling communication and the transition of the elderly parent to assisted living

Family caregiving for elderly parents is a prevalent issue in today's society. However, no studies have investigated the adult sibling communication that takes place within the aging family when transitioning an elderly parent to an assisted living facility. This study examines the communication patterns that emerge among and between siblings that have experienced an elderly parent's transition to assisted living.;Twenty one people completed questionnaires about their experience with the transition of an elderly parent to assisted living; an additional nine people participated in small group interviews to discuss the issue of transitioning a parent to assisted living. A thematic approach to the analysis of data was used to identify communication patters that emerged among and between siblings during their elderly parent's transition to an assisted living facility. The identified patterns of communication of the adult siblings participating in the study were assimilated to the characteristics of family systems theory as discussed by Turner and West (1998). The concepts of hierarchy and suprasystems, calibration and feedback, and equifinality, as it relates to adult sibling communication, were prevalent among the participants in the study.;Results of this study suggest that open communication among adult siblings, a participatory or supportive role in caregiving, and an expressed acknowledgment and gratitude for siblings providing care, lends to a positive transition of the elderly parent to assisted living and greater relational satisfaction among aging family members.