Older Americans are suffering from both physical and social losses as they age. These losses are sometimes accompanied by the elderly person's entrance into a long-term care facility. Some researchers have suggested that such facilities fail to maintain the residents' independent behavior. Others contend that behavior is plastic and can be…

Many gerontologists have noted the tendency of nursing homes to nurture dependency and learned helplessness in residents. To test the effectiveness of a control-relevant intervention strategy, nursing home residents (N=40) were given the opportunity to care for wild birds by tending individually placed bird feeders. Residents were assigned to one…

This study examined a nursing aide recognition program in a nursing home with 50 nurses and 200 nurse aides. Before the program was implemented, baseline data on job satisfaction were gathered with a questionnaire. A one-page description of the program and an evaluation tool were distributed to the nurse aides at their information sessions. Nurse…

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…

The proceedings of the second in a series of workshops on dental hygiene education and practice are presented. The opening remarks are by Cheryl Westphal. Papers categorized as "Considerations for the Professionalization of Dental Hygiene" are as follows: "Socio-Economic Viewpoint" (Gary Gaumer); "Political Science Viewpoint" (Lelia Helms);…

This document contains a preliminary report on the implementation of Wisconsin's Community Options Program (COP), a program designed both to divert persons from entering nursing homes and to deinstitutionalize current nursing home residents who can be effectively served by community-based alternatives. The introduction of this report provides a…

This document is a report evaluating the Community Options Program (COP) operated in Wisconsin in 1982 and 1983. The report states that the program is designed to reduce the institutionalization of disabled persons by supporting these persons in the community, thereby decreasing expenditures for long term support and slowing the demand for nursing…

Recent literature on the changing staffing requirements for registered nurses and the factors affecting those requirements is cited in this annotated bibliography that comprises the ninth volume in the Nurse Planning Information Series. A broad concept of staffing is employed and includes information useful to both managers within individual…

The effectiveness of various procedures in maintaining attendance at activities of residents at a geriatric facility was examined. A special, intermittently programmed or delayed consequence for attendance was added to regularly scheduled activities. Attendance at activities with and without the consequence was compared. Later, antecedent events…

The tendency in the United States to view the nursing home as an all-purpose solution to the health problems of the elderly has created a set of self-made problems: increased dependency, depression and social isolation among the aged. In the United States, unlike in many European nations, institutional care of the elderly is conceived of and…

This study reports an experimentally designed evaluation of Reality Orientation. Twelve elderly residents were chosen for the experimental group and 13 residents were chosen for the no-treatment control group. Both classroom Reality Orientation and 24-hour Reality Orientation were introduced on the experimental floor. A pretest-posttest control…

A project implemented by a school of nursing and social work at one university and evaluated by a school of education at another is described. The project, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, trained 128 personnel from 32 nursing homes in strategies to raise the mental status of residents. Evaluation results indicated a desired…

Employment in nursing homes is projected to increase from 583,000 in 1973 to 1,036,000 in 1985. Substantially more workers are expected to be employed in nearly all occupations. The projected growth of 78% is faster than that expected in any segment of the health industry. Most nursing home employees are service workers. Two of these occupational…

A communal learning experience involves grade school children, residents of a nursing home, and neighborhood volunteers. (MLF)

An extension of the service role for college student volunteers in nursing homes is advocacy, representing the interests of those unable to obtain their rights. The article describes various student advocacy programs and suggests resources for action on nursing home complaints. (MF)