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The Family Relationships in Late Life Project
Family-Based Caregiving For over ten years, the Family Relationships in Late Life (FRILL) project has been funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging. Under the direction of Dr. Gail Williamson at the University of Georgia, this study has involved collaboration between researchers at the University of Georgia, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and the University of Alabama. FRILL focuses on the complex factors that influence how providing care for an older relative affects the physical and emotional well-being of both caregivers and care recipients. The study involves multiple interviews with family members who provide care to elderly relatives and their care recipients. FRILL examines a wide range of issues, including physical and mental health, cognitive function, interpersonal relationships, and quality of care. Interviews are conducted by professional researchers in participants' homes to produce non-threatening (and, often, beneficial) conditions in which participants can comfortably discuss their experiences. We believe that the richness of the caregiving experience can be fully understood only through a detailed examination of the real-life circumstances of those who have accepted the responsibility of caring for an aging relative. Our interactions with caregivers and care recipients are providing important information about the crucial role that family members play in our health care system, the challenges they face every day, and ways to help them meet these challenges.
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