Abstract
Persons above age 80 comprise the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, and it is estimated that one in four will need long-term care due to increased disabilities and illness. A major concern for residents, families, and providers is to ensure care that “allows the resident to maintain or attain their highest practicable physical, mental and psychosocial well-being.” The challenge is measuring a subjective concept such as well-being. The Eden Alternative is a current initiative aimed at improving the quality of life and well-being of long-term care residents. The initiative consists of providing long-term care environments that emphasize person-directed decision making and well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Eden Alternative Well-Being Assessment Tool (EAWBAT). There are three assessment tools designed to measure the well-being of elders (residents), family members of residents, and employees working in the long-term care environments. The sample consisted of 237 residents, 430 employees, and 134 family members from seven Eden Alternative organizations throughout the United States. Factor analysis was completed to identify the underlying structure in these data for elders, employees, and families. Reliability statistics were computed for each scale. Reliability statistics ranged from .876 (employee assessment tool) to .949 (family assessment tool), indicating the potential of the EAWBAT to measure the well-being of residents residing in long-term care environments, employees supporting them, and their family members.
Highlights
With the increasing proportion of older adults in the population, nationally and internationally, researchers are becoming more focused on how society can care for the increasing numbers of frail elderly adults who require long-term care services
In the elder well-being assessment, the items relating to the well-being domains of growth and autonomy loaded together in the factor analysis as did the items relating to the domains of identity and meaning
Measurement of well-being is the first step to initiating improvements that strengthen quality of life (QoL) for those associated with long-term care environments
Summary
With the increasing proportion of older adults in the population, nationally and internationally, researchers are becoming more focused on how society can care for the increasing numbers of frail elderly adults who require long-term care services. Persons more than age 80 comprise the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States (Perlich, 2008). Due to the increase of older adults using long-term care facilities, there has been growing interest in the quality of life (QoL) and well-being of older adults who reside in long-term care facilities (Baker, 2007; Kane, 2001, 2003). Institutional long-term care is generally marked by rigid schedules and routines, with little choice or dignity for those receiving care. Turnover is very high (Castle, 2005, 2006). Long-term care institutions are plagued with challenges that may negatively affect residents’ QoL, such as high staff turnover, rigid schedules, and routines that minimize personal choice
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