Meeting the challenge: involuntary residents in the nursing home

This study has shown that involuntary residents feel they have no personal choices and experience emotional distress. Subjects did not develop effective relationships with staff or other residents, and they delayed renegotiation of relationships with the staff. They suffered more falls, more depression, and more weight loss than did voluntary residents. Finally, they used more resources than did voluntary residents. These results suggest that staff need to identify this "high risk" group at the start and increase the opportunities for personal control.