Enhancing three bliss concepts among nursing home elders in Taiwan

AIMS: The purpose was to examine the effectiveness of the self-care self-efficacy enhancement programme (SCSEEP) to improve the three bliss concepts, life satisfaction, self-esteem and motivation in health behaviours, among Taiwanese nursing home elders. BACKGROUND: Promoting self-care is the most effective means for Chinese elders to achieve happiness and bliss. No studies have examined how to enhance bliss by improving self-care ability in older nursing home residents in Taiwan. DESIGN: This study used an experimental, longitudinal research design. The 101 subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 55) and a comparison group (n = 46). METHODS: Subjects in the experimental group received the SCSEEP. Programme from nursing home staff. Subjects in the comparison group received care as usual. The programme was implemented immediately after staff received a SCSEEP. The training programme was based partly on the SCSEEP developed by the principal investigator. Activities used in the SCSEEP included performance accomplishment, vicarious experiences and verbal persuasion. FINDINGS: Results found that there was a significant positive correlation between life satisfaction and ADL performance (p = 0.019), self-esteem and ADL performance (p < 0.001) as well as levels of ADL performance and motivation in health behaviour (p = 0.003). Additionally, the repeated measures design revealed a significant difference between scores on four tests of life satisfaction (LS) (p < 0.001), self-esteem (p < 0.001) and motivation in health behaviours (p < 0.001) in two groups of subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The SCSEEP is valuable to prevent decline in life satisfaction, self-esteem and motivation in health behaviours among Taiwanese nursing home elders. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The SCSEEP provides nursing home staff a series of interventions to improve self-care ability of Chinese nursing home which in turn enhances the three bliss concept.