Making a positive difference in the lives of nursing home residents with Alzheimer disease: the lifestyle approach.
Many persons with Alzheimer disease (AD) receive care outside their home, temporarily at a day care center or permanently in an assisted living arrangement or in a skilled nursing facility. How persons with AD live, and the potential to improve the lives of persons with AD, is a rich resource for conducting interdisciplinary research in AD. This paper presents the "lifestyle approach" which is a method of easing the transition from his/her home into a nursing home setting. The lifestyle approach helps establish a daily routine for residents that is familiar and that fills their days with meaningful activities. Little research has been initiated to study how to increase the quality of life of nursing home residents with AD. Each component of the lifestyle approach is presented and suggestions for studies to support or refute the author's opinion are made to stimulate research in this area.
Simard
J
J
CareMatrix Corporation, Needham, Massachusetts 02194, USA.
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006272:Health Facility Environment / Q000592:standards; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006802:Human Activities / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008499:Medical Records; D008884:Milieu Therapy / Q000379:methods; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000592:standards*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life