Nursing Students Explore Meaningful Activities for Nursing Home Residents: Enlivening the Residents by Cultivating Their Spark of Life.

Britt Øvrebø Haugland,Tove Giske

doi:10.3390/nursrep11020022

Britt Øvrebø Haugland, Tove Giske

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep11020022

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Journal: Nursing Reports	Publication Date: Apr 1, 2021
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: VID Specialized University

Abstract

International research focuses on person-centered care, quality of life, and quality of care for people living in long-term care facilities, and that it can be challenging to improve the quality of life for residents with dementia. The aim of this study was to explore ways of developing appropriate person-centered activities for nursing home residents based on what would be meaningful for them. A qualitative explorative design was chosen. Twelve students each year over a three-year period participated in the study (altogether 36). Each student tailored joyful and meaningful activities for two nursing home residents and wrote eight reflection journals each (altogether 284). Additional data came from eight focus group interviews with the students. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The main theme was “Enlivening the residents by cultivating their spark of life”. Two main categories were identified: (1) “Journeying to meaningful and enlivening (enjoyable) activities”, and (2) “Expressions of enlivening”, It is possible to tailor meaningful and enlivening activities together with the individual person with dementia. Involvement and engagement are necessary to understand the verbal and nonverbal expressions and communicate with the individual resident.

Highlights

There has been a growing international interest in the quality of life and the quality of care for residents living in long-term care or nursing homes [1,2,3,4]
International research focuses on person-centered care, quality of life, and quality of care for people living in long-term care facilities, and that it can be challenging to improve the quality of life for residents with dementia
The principle of local care, introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) [5], builds on evidence that most people want to live in their home or familiar surroundings for as long as possible

Summary

Introduction

There has been a growing international interest in the quality of life and the quality of care for residents living in long-term care or nursing homes [1,2,3,4]. The principle of local care, introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) [5], builds on evidence that most people want to live in their home or familiar surroundings for as long as possible. For various reasons, such as severe dementia, some old people are unable to live at home. The importance of the continuity of self is mentioned by O’Sullivan [14]

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