Nurses' and family members'. Perceptions of nursing home residents' needs

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of agreement between nursing home staff and families in assessing the needs of cognitively impaired nursing home residents. A convenience sample of 36 family members of nursing home residents with cognitive impairment and the nurses assigned to those patients was recruited from three nursing homes. The Nurse and Resident Perceptions Questionnaire, adapted from Lindgren and Linton (1991), was used to assess functioning in activities of daily living, physiologic, and psychosocial areas. Significant differences were found for eight items of physiologic and psychosocial functioning: difficulties with chewing, swelling of feet, orthopnea, weakness, easy bruising, recognition of people, lack of privacy, and boredom. Nurses rated all these areas less problematic than did the family members. Collaborative efforts of family members and nurses are needed to develop effective plans of care for these problems of nursing home residents with cognitive impairment.