FAMILY ADVOCACY ROLES AND HIGHLY DEPENDENT RESIDENTS IN NURSING-HOMES

A developing critique has questioned the practical utility of user rig hts policy initiatives for highly dependent residents of nursing homes . This paper seeks to extend this critique to the advocacy roles that families have been accorded within the policy initiatives, The discuss ion is based on a qualitative research study of family participation i ll six aged care units, Tile paper argues that the capacity of familie s to act as advocates for highly dependent nursing home residents is i s limited by the their weak position within the organisations and the complexity of their relations with staff It questions both the applica bility and the appropriateness of rights models which do not take suff icient account of the structure and meaning of care.