title: Combining behavior management and mutual goal setting to reduce physical dependency in nursing home residents.
abstract: The effectiveness of three nursing approaches in fostering self-care behaviors in elderly nursing home residents was compared. The study was conducted in three intermediate care nursing homes. Each home was randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a combination of behavior modification and mutual goal setting (Condition 1), mutual goal setting only (Condition 2), and routine nursing care (Condition 3). Seventy-nine subjects completed the study. In-service training was provided to nursing staff in Conditions 1 and 2 but not in Condition 3. Over a period of 22 weeks, nursing staff encouraged subjects to do parts of their morning activities of daily living (ADLs) independently. When the groups were compared on self-care behaviors at the end of the 22 weeks, subjects who received the combination treatment performed significantly more self-care behaviors than those in the other two groups.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Nursing, Richmond, USA.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Blair
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012648:Self Care