Maintenance and rehabilitation of independence in old age: an intervention program for staff.
Research has attested to the prevalence of a "dependency-support" and "independence-ignore" script characterizing the interactions between staff and elderly residents in long-term care institutions. To examine whether the scripts could be modified, a staff training program (focusing on communication skills, knowledge about aging, and basic behavior principles) was implemented in 3 different institutions. Observational data on staff-resident interactions in the context of self-care were collected pre- and postintervention. Findings revealed significant changes for the experimental group. Specifically, a decrease in dependence-supportive behavior of staff and an increase in their independence-supportive behavior, an increase in independent behavior of residents, and an increase in independence-related interaction patterns were demonstrated.
Baltes
M M
MM
Department of Gerontopsychiatry, Free University of Berlin, Germany.
Neumann
E M
EM
Zank
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001519:Behavior; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D003142:Communication; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education*; D012112:Residential Facilities; D012803:Sick Role; D012931:Social Environment