Families and the Nursing Home Environment Adaptation in a Group Context

An eight week education-support group given to family members of nursing home residents helped them adapt into the nursing home environment. At the conclusion, and despite deterioration in health status of the residents, family members reported that they enjoyed their visits more than before the intervention started. An especially effective component was when a project staff member worked directly with residents and then helped family members practice those successful visit strategies during support group sessions. With similar programs, nursing homes can reap the benefit of enhanced family involvement.