Restoring dressing independence in persons with Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study

Well meaning nursing facility staff may compromise the independence of older adults with dementia by performing activities of daily living for residents. We assessed the impact of teaching certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to use a graduated prompting procedure to increase dressing independence of persons with dementia.

This study was conducted in a seven-bed dementia care unit. Three residents and two CNAs participated in the study. We used a repeated-measures experimental design to evaluate the effect of a training workshop for CNAs on a strategy for increasing resident engagement in self-care activities.

During a series of baseline observations, we found that CNAs typically dressed residents with minimal resident involvement. Results showed that, following the training workshop for CNAs, resident independence in dressing increased and range of motion improved.

CNAs can provide restorative care that increases dressing independence and range of motion of older adults with dementia.