Case management the panacea for aged care?

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of case management on family member or other care giver involvement in residential aged care settings; staff family relationships and family satisfaction with residential care. Method: This was a controlled before and after study involving pre and post intervention testing and comparison between intervention and control groups from two 30 bed rural high care residential aged care facilities. Staff from the intervention facility underwent case management training and resources were allocated to implement case management. General demographic information was collected about the family member and the residents. The Family Involvement Questionnaire and the Family Perception of Care Tool was used pre and post intervention to determine the level of family involvement and their perception of care provided. Results: Visiting levels increased in the intervention site but not the control site. No significant differences were found for the two sites over the two phases but increases were seen in correspondence, attendance at social activities, overseeing staff interactions, attendance at case conferences and rate of family member decision making about treatments or care for the intervention site. The overall satisfaction with care and the relationships increased at the intervention site but the changes were not significant. Conclusion: Although there were no statistically significant results due to the sample size, there were positive changes at the intervention site. Case management is a potentially suitable model of care in the aged care setting.