title: The effect of labeling on employee perceptions of residents living on Alzheimer's disease specialized care units.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined whether labeling influenced nursing home employees' perceptions of residents and how those perceptions could affect resident-caregiver interactions.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a small descriptive study using vignettes and questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two nursing homes (one rural, one urban) in New England.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-three nursing home employees including registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, activities staff, and others.
  
  
  METHODS
  All participants read a vignette based on the behavior of a fictional resident and rated their perceptions of the behavior, indicated whether and how they would report the event, and made recommendations for possible courses of action. Although vignettes were the same, the resident label varied: Alzheimer's disease specialized care unit (ADSCU) resident or resident of a non-specialized long-term care unit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Employees who read the vignette for the ADSCU resident rated the resident's behavior as more problematic, inappropriate, and aggressive than the same behavior for non-ADSCU residents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effect of the label of "ADSCU resident" may have implications for care provided in specialized long-term care environments.
authors: Doctoral Program in Gerontology, Sociology/Anthropology Department, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD. Electronic address: pdoyle1@umbc.edu.
authors: Patrick J
authors: PJ
authors: Doyle
authors: Department of Psychology, Rhode Island College, Providence, RI.
authors: Christine A
authors: CA
authors: Marco
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D009511:New England; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010361:Patients / Q000145:classification*; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires