No abstract

The Partners in Care program was an eight-week education and support group designed to create an environment where family caregivers and nursing home staff could share their knowledge about caregiving and reduce ambiguity about caregiving roles in the nursing home. Twenty-seven caregivers (17 attended group meetings and 10 served as the contrast group) participated in an evaluation of the program. Pretest and post-test scores on the Knowledge of Nursing Home Caregiving scale, staff observations, anecdotal information and continuing partnerships suggest that both staff and family caregivers benefitted from the program. This article describes the development, implementation and evaluation of the Partners in Care program.

Expressions of intimacy involving nursing home residents with dementia are often ignored or handled with limitedfinesse. This article describes issues affecting residents, families and staff. A pre-admission intimacy profile and LifeStory outline is included. Reaction to self directed intimacy and considerations when responding to a confused resident 's involvement with a cognitively alert resident are described. Recommended guidelines for addressing intimate situations between residents with dementia are outlined. Understanding the effects on families and stafffocuses the challenge ofoffering support and education. Creative staff training modules are included with practical caregiving suggestions.