"Make me feel at ease and at home" Differential care preferences of nursing home residents

April 15, 2015

Author

  • Katherine M. Abbott

Assessing and honoring older adults’ preferences is a fundamental step in providing person-centered care in long-term care facilities. Researchers and practitioners have begun to develop measures to assess nursing home (NH) residents’ everyday preferences. However, little is known about how residents interpret and conceptualize their preferences and what specific clinical response may be needed to balance health and safety concerns with preferences. Results contribute to an emergent body of research that utilizes patient preferences to achieve the goals of person-centered care. The complexity of these responses substantiates the use of qualitative inquiry to thoroughly assess and integrate NH resident preferences into the delivery of person-centered care.

The Gerontologist, 56 (4), 702-713. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnv026

Topics

  • Care Management
  • Long-Term Care Facilities