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Finding a practical method to increase engagement of residents on a dementia care unitWashburn University, Topeka, Kansas.
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
Gerontology Center; Human Development and Family Life, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. Previous research has shown that it is possible to increase the engagement of residents with dementia in daily activities by making changes in institutional care practices. However, these changes often require expensive and cumbersome staff training programs that longterm care facilities may be unlikely to adopt and maintain. This study evaluates a simple, inexpensive recording and feedback procedure to increase resident engagement in a way that may be more amenable to adoption by long-term care facilities. Nursing assistants working in a locked dementia care unit were asked to complete a daily activity record on which they recorded the amount and quality of resident engagement. The facility's activity director was asked to read these activity records each day and give immediate, positive feedback to the nursing assistants. This procedure was evaluated by using a control series design. Results revealed baseline engagement observations with a mean of 11 percent, which increased to a mean of 44 percent during observations under treatment conditions. This study suggests that simple, inexpensive changes in institutional practices can make meaningful improvements in the level of engagement of residents with dementia.
Key Words: Alzheimer's disease control series dementia care unit long-term care recording and feedback resident engagement staff training
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 17, No. 4,
245-248 (2002) This article has been cited by other articles:
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