Detailed assessment of group-homeliving for elderly people suffering from senile dementia and the effect of care

• Project/Area Number: 08672694
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Nursing
• Research Institution: HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF HOKKAIDO
• Principal Investigator: NAKAJIMA Kieko Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, School of Nursing and Social Services, Professor, 看護福祉学部, 教授 (90009613)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): OSATO Toyorou Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, School of Nursing and Social Services, P, 看護福祉学部, 教授 (30000912) ; YAMADA Ritsuko Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, School of Nursing and Social Services, A, 看護福祉学部, 講師 (70285542) ; KITAGAWA Kimiko Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, School of Nursing and Social Services, A, 看護福祉学部, 助教授 (30224950)
• Project Period (FY): 1996 – 1998
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 1998)
• Budget Amount: ¥2,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000); Fiscal Year 1998: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000); Fiscal Year 1997: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000); Fiscal Year 1996: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000)
• Keywords: Dementia / Group Home / NK activity / Actigraphy / Sleep-wake cycle / アクティビテイ

Research Abstract

In the Kouhou-haithsu treatment facility in Hokkaido, a group home was established in August 1997 for elderly people suffering from senile dementia.The first 8 residents (1 man and 7 women) of this home were continuously observed and evaluated.The following results were obtained :
1) High NK cell activity was observed in all residents upon arrival at the home, but this activity subsesequently decreased in all residents after one month.The decrease in NK activity coincided with the appearance of a number of different problems including confusion and over-excitement, likely as a result of the stresses involved in the change in living environments.
2) After 5 months of living in a group-home, NK activity in all residents recovered to the level it had been upon arrival at the home.Although sleep patterns were irregular in a number of residents upon arrival, they normalized at the same time as the normalization of NK activity.GBS scale indicated a significant improvement in emotional function ing and psychological condition within 2 months to 5 montths of arrival.It is believed that the establishment of a care program, the subsequent establishment of personal relationships amongst the residents, and the resultant decline in the number of problems experienced by the patients all contributed to the overall improvment in their condition. It is essential that during the first 5 months of group-home living that careful observation and evaluation of the many different aspects of the process should be carried out.
3) Over the course of the first 5 monts after opening, the following care programs were established : re-construction of the living environment including improving the interior facilities and placing furniture and aBudhist family altar into each room in line with an evaluation of activity ranges ; activities included applying make-up, word games and tending to the garden at the group-home ; re-arrangement of home roles including cookimg, cleaning and taking out trash.
4) Based on practical experiments done within the first monthe when a number of different problems arose, it was concluded that the practical knowledge gained from the accumulated experience of providing care in such a nursing home dose not on its own adequately prepare care-givers to run a group-home properly. Educational programs are needed that enhance the ability of care ataff to provide comprehensive assessment, managemant and control of a roup-home.