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A study was undertaken to describe the meaning, process, and consequences of nurse caring from the perspective of persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) during rehabilitation. The constant comparative method, or grounded theory, was used in this prospective, exploratory project. In-depth tape-recorded interviews were conducted with 22 participants throughout their initial rehabilitation stay. A process of knowledge acquisition and decision making, facilitated by nurses and therapists in special caring relationships with the persons with SCI, resulted in outcomes of well-being, self-care, autonomy in decision making, independence, and hope, all of which contributed to the persons with SCI's reintegration of self before their discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Addressing quality of life (QOL) issues in the spinal cord injured (SCI) population is imperative as the majority survive their initial injury and longevity now approaches that of the general population. The purpose of this mixed method, descriptive, longitudinal feasibility study was to describe and compare QOL in 10 adult SCI individuals and their family caregivers (FCs) during the initial 6 months following rehabilitation. Instruments used were the SF-36 and two horizontal visual analog scales, one for pain and one for QOL. Participants completed the instruments and a face-to-face in-depth interview at 1-, 3-, and 6-months following inpatient rehabilitation. SCI individuals reported low physical function, role physical (RP), and role emotional (RE) scores on the SF-36, while reporting high general health (GH), mental health and social functioning on the SF-36. FCs reported lower RP, GH and vitality scores, while reporting higher physical functioning and RE scores. On the visual analog scales, persons with SCI reported lower QOL while FCs reported more pain at 3 and 6 months. This study suggests that more work is needed to identify interventions which could enhance QOL during the transition from rehabilitation to home for SCI individuals and their FCs.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical and psychosocial effects of the Wii Fit exergames incorporating self-efficacy theory on assisted living residents. The study was a quasi-experimental pre/post-test design. Thirty-two participants were recruited from two assisted living facilities. Sixteen participants received the Wii Fit exergames incorporating self-efficacy theory twice a week for 4 weeks. The other participants received a health education program. Physical function, fear of falling, depression, and quality of life were evaluated. T tests were used for data analysis. After the 4-week intervention, the Wii Fit group showed significant improvements in balance (p < .01), mobility (p < .01), and depression (p < .05). The education group showed no significant improvement in any of the outcomes. Integrating concepts of self-efficacy theory with the exergames show promise as a potential tool to improve and maintain physical and psychosocial health for older adults.

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