Residential care home patients thrive in holistic environment

Residential care homes would be wise to implement a holistic approach to the treatment their patients receive, a recent study has shown.

Over 100 elderly care home residents living in a diverse range of facilities were questioned in the survey, carried out by a team of experts at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the National University of Ireland in Galway.

They identified four areas - the policy of the home, the rootedness of a patient's identity, the treatments and activities available to them and how engaged they felt.

Dr Adeline Cooney, from the university, commented: "It was clear from our research that practitioners and policy makers need to take all these factors into account if they are to provide older people with the sort of residential care that enhances their quality of life."

She added that actively engaging residents in the decision-making process was crucial to their happiness and their overall experience at the care home.

The survey was carried out by the National Council on Ageing and Older People, which was founded in 1997 to advise the Irish Minister for Health and Children.

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Long term care: News update: 13/05/2009