Critical incidents precipitating institutionalization of a relative with Alzheimer’s

Despite the stressors of caring for a relative with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), families institution-alize their loved one only as a last resort. What constitutes this last resort? Predictors of and risks for institutionalization have been widely examined by researchers for two decades. To date, values underpinning the critical incident leading to institutionalization of a relative with AD have not been explored. The purpose of this secondary analysis of 20 interviews with family care-givers who had recently institutionalized their relative with AD was to examine underlying val-ues that precipitated the move. Mitchell’s definition, in 1983, of a critical incident was used as a guiding framework. Three major themes were identified: “I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened, ” “It was ruining my life, ” and “I had no choice. ” The ability to identify underlying values precipitating critical events may help nurses plan interventions to assist increasing num-bers of families faced with institutionalizing a relative with AD as our population ages. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), recently referred to as the “disease of the cen-tury, ” is now the disease of two centuries. Marked by a prolonged, degenerate course that to date, lacks curative treatment (Filly, 1995), AD has afflicted at least 4 million Americans (Alzheimer’s Association, 1995). Characterize