The Gerontologist, Vol 35, Issue 6 831-835, Copyright © 1995 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

A moving experience: reconfiguring a special care unit for Alzheimer's patients

K Hepburn, M Petrie, C Peterson and W VanLoy
Department of Family Practice and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55414, USA.

Eight years after opening, the patient mix on a 64-bed Special Care Unit (SCU) for Alzheimer's residents had become too diverse to allow the intended programming to be carried out. The unit was carefully reconfigured with residents moving within, to, and from the unit. Successful moves typically involve residents in pre-move planning and preparation activities, but since this isn't feasible with dementia patients, extensive planning, training, and preparation of staff substituted for the involvement of residents. The move met its objectives: resident mix and programming are back to the original intent, and quality of life has improved. Improved discharge policies maintain homogeneity of resident levels on the unit. The change produced unexpected changes, and staff, particularly the Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), had to make immediate adjustments. Greater CNA involvement is recommended.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Palo-Bengtsson and S.-L. Ekman Emotional response to social dencing and walks in persons with dementia American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, May 1, 2002; 17(3): 149 - 153. [Abstract] [PDF]