Enhancing three bliss concepts among nursing home elders in Taiwan

The purpose was to examine the effectiveness of the self-care self-efficacy enhancement programme (SCSEEP) to improve the three bliss concepts, life satisfaction, self-esteem and motivation in health behaviours, among Taiwanese nursing home elders.

Promoting self-care is the most effective means for Chinese elders to achieve happiness and bliss. No studies have examined how to enhance bliss by improving self-care ability in older nursing home residents in Taiwan.

This study used an experimental, longitudinal research design. The 101 subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 55) and a comparison group (n = 46).

Subjects in the experimental group received the SCSEEP. Programme from nursing home staff. Subjects in the comparison group received care as usual. The programme was implemented immediately after staff received a SCSEEP. The training programme was based partly on the SCSEEP developed by the principal investigator. Activities used in the SCSEEP included performance accomplishment, vicarious experiences and verbal persuasion.

Results found that there was a significant positive correlation between life satisfaction and ADL performance (p = 0.019), self-esteem and ADL performance (p < 0.001) as well as levels of ADL performance and motivation in health behaviour (p = 0.003). Additionally, the repeated measures design revealed a significant difference between scores on four tests of life satisfaction (LS) (p < 0.001), self-esteem (p < 0.001) and motivation in health behaviours (p < 0.001) in two groups of subjects.

The SCSEEP is valuable to prevent decline in life satisfaction, self-esteem and motivation in health behaviours among Taiwanese nursing home elders.

The SCSEEP provides nursing home staff a series of interventions to improve self-care ability of Chinese nursing home which in turn enhances the three bliss concept.