A new research brief from the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston explores how family caregivers perceive their communication with direct care professionals and how those perceptions influence residents’ mental health.

Quality of Communication with Direct Care Professionals in Residential Care Settings: The Association Between Family Caregiver Perceptions and Resident Mental Health also provides practical strategies for improving family and direct care professional communication.

The research study was funded by the Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation.

Researchers Francesca Falzarano of Weill Cornell Medicine, Verena Cimarolli of the LTSS Center, and Karen Siedlecki of Fordham University studied communication in residential care settings by analyzing the datasets of two, linked, population-based surveys.

One key finding: Greater availability of communication between family caregivers and direct care professionals in LTSS settings was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and lower negative affect in residents.

Read more about the study at the LTSS Center website.