W Lustbader | PubMed Health

PubMed1996

Tales from individualized care.

Consistent staff assignment allows aides and residents to work out idiosyncratic ways of getting things done, rather than having battles over control, timing, and preferences. Giving nursing home residents control over small aspects of daily life is more important than staff efficiency in getting tasks accomplished. Creative approaches to solving problems arise most fruitfully from knowing the nursing home resident as a person, and this requires an investment of time as well as sensitivity that rewards both the giver and receiver of care.

Aged↗

PubMed1995

The dilemmas of dependency.

Dependency can engender a host of negative feelings. Anger or irritation at caregivers, a burdening sense of indebtedness, and fear of increasing frailty are emotions commonly experienced by those receiving care. These negative reactions may stem from early life experiences in which parents failed to fulfill basic needs for protection and nurturance. Older patients who were abusive to their children when young may worry about "paybacks" during dependency. Still others recall the strain of taking care of their own parents years earlier and are afraid of anyone feeling toward them what they once felt. Differing expectations between generations, as well as sibling conflicts over parental care, can add to the difficulties. Case managers who are aware of these potential issues can help clients through them to a resolution.

Activities of Daily Living↗