Introduction
Elderly living alone is increasing, and support for family who living apart is an important part to provide home care. The present study aimed to explore the contents of support provided by home-visit nurses for family members of older individuals living alone in their home at the end of life.
Methods
We conducted a literature review and semi-structured interview survey. We identified eight articles in the online edition of Ichushi using a combination of the following terms: living alone, home-visit nursing, family, and end-of-life. We also conducted an interview survey on home-visit nurses to examine methods of contact with family member.
Results
The nine categories of family support were extracted from the eight articles, including Emotional support, Helping families accept that the patient will die at home, Advice on how the family can support the patient, taking the family’s circumstances into consideration, Assistance in expressing the patient’s wishes and appreciation toward the family, and Support to strengthen family bonds. The methods of contact with family members included communication notebooks, communication message apps, and/or the telephone, depending on the urgency and contents of the message.
Conclusions
The findings explored that visiting nurses provide multifaceted support to family members who do not live with the older person, using a variety of contact methods. Because they have few opportunities to meet with families face-to-face, visiting nurses must work with multiple stakeholders, including care managers, family physicians and local welfare commissioners, to understand the family’s situation and build supportive relationships.

Authors:
Mitsuko Ushikubo, Gunma University, Japan
Ayako Ishimaru, Gunma University, Japan
Jun Kashiwase, Gunma University, Japan
Hiroshi Nakagawa, Takasaki University of Health and Welfare, Japan
Qijun Yan, Gunma University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
QIJUN YAN is currently a PhD student at the Graduate School of Health Sciences, Gunma University, Japan.

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