Effect of self-care ADLs on self-esteem of intact nursing home residents

This 26-week repeated measures designed study was conducted on two units of a nursing home in a southern U.S. state. Two nursing approaches were compared on their effectiveness to foster self-care activities of daily living (ADLs) and improve self-esteem in dependent residents who, upon admission, were cognitively and physically intact and able to perform ADLs independently (intact residents). Twenty subjects, 10 on each unit, participated in the study. Each unit was randomly assigned to a nursing condition: a combination of the educative-supportive system of care and behavior modification (Condition 1) and routine nursing care (Condition 2). Inservice training was provided to staff in Condition 1 but not in Condition 2. Following a 2-week baseline period, nursing staff encouraged subjects to do their targeted ADLs independently. When the groups were compared on self-care ADLs and self-esteem at the end of the study, subjects in Condition 1 did significantly more self-care and had significantly higher self-esteem than those in Condition 2.