Resident and staff perceptions of latitude of choice in elderly institutionalized men

Ninety-nine elderly institutionalized males, selected equally from three decades, completed measures of: their personal, perceived latitude of choice (LOC) in activities of daily living; self-concept; and life satisfaction. One hundred staff, of both sexes, estimated how the typical or "average" V.A. domiciliary resident would respond to the LOC measure. Mean resident LOC scores were found to be significantly related to life satisfaction but not to self-concept. This supports the thesis that latitude of choice, or personal autonomy, is related to well-being and that the LOC measure may be a useful tool in the development and evaluation of interventions aimed at improving resident well-being. Significant relationships between resident age and the importance of daily activities, self-concept and life satisfaction were also observed although there were no age differences in the resident data for the LOC, importance or choice measures. In comparing staff attributed and resident perceived latitude of choice, significant differences were found. Examination of response patterns to the specifically listed activities of daily living also revealed significant staff-resident differences. Therefore, any attempt to intervene in the environment to increase the personal autonomy or control of residents, and hence their well-being, must deal with such staff-resident differences and with staff misperceptions of what is and is not important to residents. Interventions should be targeted at specific activities viewed by a majority of residents as restricted and insofar as practical, interventions should be individually tailored.