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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Seto, Peter Ho. January, 1981 - MENTAL HEALTH ATTITUDES AND NEEDS OF NURSING HOME RESIDENTS AS PERCEIVED BY THE RESIDENTS AND STAFF
Abstract: This thesis addresses the mental health needs of residents in the George Boyack Nursing Home, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Mental health needs of the residents are identified by the perceptions of staff and residents. Comparison of these etic and emic perspectives with ethnographic data allows a thorough and contextual understanding of resident mental health needs. Recommendations for improving mental health of the residents result from the analysis of nursing home survey data, ethnographic accounts and interviews with administrators and workers of community mental health facilities. A literature search in Chapter 2 focuses on three factors which affect adaptation of the elderly to nursing homes: physical health, prior location and proxemics. These factors form part of the theoretical basis for my participant observation and construction of surveys used in the nursing home. The nursing home setting is described as part of a complex administrative organization within the service area of other community mental health facilities. Chapter 3 also provides descriptions of the staff and resident populations in the nursing home. Methods used in this research are interview, participant observa- tion and survey questionnaires. An open-ended survey question format is used for interviewee-identified problems and mental health needs for residents. I spent numerous hours participating in nursing home activities and observing nurse-resident interactions. Individual contact was involved in interviews with 42 nursing staff and 48 residents. The findings indicate that the nursing staff are well experienced and have a variety of attitudes toward mental health. Staff perceptions of mental health causes center on the residents' interaction with family, staff, and with other residents. Other data in this chapter highlight the backgrounds of the residents, specific problem situations and the possible services available for mental health care in the community. A discussion identifies specific problems such as language barriers, deficiencies in staff counselling skills, physician involvement, orientation of new residents and poor relationship with community mental health facilities. Recommendations in the final chapter address these problems by suggesting feasible means for meeting resident mental health needs. Special attention is directed towards educating staff and residents, encouraging physician leadership and coordinating care for each resident in order that efficient and effective use of community mental health resources can be made.
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