Describes an experiment in the use of art classes as a stimulus to participation and enjoyment in a home for the elderly. (JOW)

Former nursing home residents (N=197) were followed for 2 years after discharge. Four subgroups of patients were identified on the basis of different patterns of survival and use of health care resources: those who returned home, died in nursing homes, transferred to hospitals, or transferred to other nursing homes. (NRB)

As part of the adult education program of Mountain View-Los Altos (California) High School District, elderly patients at skilled nursing care facilities take classes in poetry. The poetry classes are therapeutic in nature, satisfying a real need for these very ill elderly people to express their frustrations, hopes, fears, and joys. All of the…

Describes an exchange program between a cooperative nursery school and a nursing home in which children were paired with nursing home residents. Discusses selecting and preparing child and adult participants, planning and supervising group and class activities, and teaching children about death and illness. (CB)

Examined resident characteristics most conducive to sociability and the common bonds underlying nursing home friendships. Suggests that lucidity and sight explain a significant proportion of the "loner" status of some residents, while placement on the same unit and contemporaneous age proved to be the most common bonds underlying…

Board games called Games of Rapport are being developed at the University of Alberta. The first, "Angels and Devils," is designed for play by nursing home residents. Results of a study involving "Angels and Devils" show that board games are useful in communicating rehabilitative objectives and sources of conflict. (Author/BEF)

Employed Nominal Group and Delphi techniques of group decision-making to identify and determine relative intensity of stressors of nursing home administrators in Texas. Revealed that most stressful conditions involved relations with persons and agencies outside the nursing home: state agencies, legislators, general public, and relatives of…

Professionals and paraprofessionals working in long term care facilities for institutionalized older people come from various educational backgrounds. To investigate the learning needs of long term care employees in gerontology, and to determine the validity of the Foundations for Gerontological Education Project as it relates to long term care…

Based on experiences with geriatric services workers, these strategies have been developed to respond to the ongoing educational needs of human service workers. The strategies are designed to help workshop leaders heighten human service providers' awareness of their clients' worlds. The three strategies outlined in this paper are the following:…

This document addresses the dilemma faced by families with an aging or disabled member and the stress associated with the role of family caregiver. Emotions experienced by family caregivers, especially when the caregiver is an adult child caring for an elderly or frail parent, are discussed and feelings of desertion, dependence, and sibling…

Describes a public library outreach program for institutionalized senior citizens, including the rationale, local environment, management of the program, and individual literacy discussion sessions. The many positive results both to the participants and to the library are described. An annotated list of materials tested in several group situations…

This document consists of an instructor's manual and student manual for a nurse assistant curriculum. The instructor's manual provides answers to activity sheets and unit evaluations along with individual unit overviews. Suggested teaching strategies and audiovisual supplements are included for each lesson. The student manual contains eight units:…

Analysis of the 1977 and 1985 National Nursing Home Surveys with respect to residents with mental retardation found little change in the size of the population; resident characteristics (such as other disabling conditions and functional limitations and primary source of payment); and level of services received. Challenges in implementing Public…

This final report describes a project to revise a 60-hour postsecondary course for activity coordinators in long-term care facilities in Iowa, to train instructors to teach the curriculum, and to evaluate that training. Introductory material includes the following: a summary sheet on how course competencies were identified, how the materials were…

This booklet describes the lessons learned in introducing a computer system in a nursing home. It is suggested that a computer system can open up channels of communication, increase accountability, reduce time spent on paperwork, satisfy the information needs of regulators, and improve resident care planning. Criteria for selecting a computer…