Family Adaptation and Intervention

Abstract

The family is often the primary unit of social support for individuals with a disability or chronic illness. Family members provide a wide variety of supports, including emotional, practical, and financial. They act as advocates or spokespersons for the patient during hospitalization, and many provide care for the patient after discharge. Importantly, family members are also affected by the disability, and this can be particularly challenging during inpatient rehabilitation. The onset of a disability or an exacerbation of illness in their loved one is a major disruption or crisis for some families. Families need to cope with strong, sometimes difficult emotional reactions within themselves that can interfere with their optimal functioning; at the same time, families are expected to take in a great amount of complex information about their loved one’s medical condition, make plans for post-discharge care, and begin to learn and assume new caregiving duties. Families need support—as well as education, resources and sometimes psychotherapy—to help them manage these emotional, intellectual and practical demands. Providing targeted interventions during inpatient rehabilitation can help families learn ways to manage their emotional responses, support the patient more effectively, anticipate future problems, and restructure their roles and priorities. Giving the family information on community resources and peer supports will help them continue the process of adaptation after discharge.