title: Sound levels in nursing homes.
abstract: Noise in nursing homes remains problematic despite attempts to create homelike environments. The purpose of this study was to examine nursing home sound levels. Eight nursing units in four not-for-profit nursing homes were studied. The findings of this study show sound levels ranged from 24 to 89.6 dBA, with averages of 52.91 to 59.46 dBA. Twenty-six percent of the sound was created by staff talking, while only 3% was directed at or included the residents. Findings suggest mealtime has the potential to create louder sounds, and staff talking may contribute significantly to overall sound levels.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, College of Nursing, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53210-0413, USA. lljoosse@uwm.edu
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Joosse
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D009729:Nursing; D009735:Nursing Homes; D013016:Sound