The effect of Orem's self-care model on nursing care in a nursing home setting

The need of the functionally disabled for nursing care is a primary rationale for institutionalization in long-term care settings. However, maintenance of the self-care abilities that nursing home residents retain is an important component of their quality of life. Nurses are in an important position to encourage and sustain residents' abilities to participate in their care. Nevertheless, without specifying the role of the resident in care, nursing interventions may inadvertently reinforce dependency and apathy at the expense of autonomy, control and well-being. Data from nursing home care records and interviews suggest that nursing staff using Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory differ in their nursing assessments and goals of care from staff on a control unit. Further study is recommended of the influence of the model on staff perspectives of care and on interventions which support nursing home residents' self-care ability and well-being.