Nurses' Management of Nursing Home Residents' Remaining Functional Ability: Concept Development

Lim, Sun Young; Chang, Sung Ok; Kim, Su Jin; Kim, Hyun Ju; Choi, Jung Eun; Park, Min Sun

Abstract

PURPOSE
Nurses' management of Nursing Home residents' remaining functional ability is phenomena emphasizing as the main practice focus in long term care and has specific meanings within the context of quality of life for fragile and disabled elderly people in nursing homes. This study was conducted to clarify and to conceptualize the phenomena of nurses' management of nursing home residents' remaining functional ability. METHOD: The Hybrid Model of concept development was applied to develop a concept of nurses' management of residents' remaining functional ability.
RESULTS
This concept of nurse' management emerged as a phenomenon having meanings in two different dimensions, deliberation and enactment for five types of residents: residents with declining function and dementia requiring nursing assistance, bed-ridden residents with moderate dementia, residents with advanced dementia and behavior problems, but good physical health, residents at the end of life stage, and bed-ridden residents with intact mental health.
CONCLUSIONS
Results indicate that nurses' management of remaining functional ability of residents in nursing homes is a concept having types of needs that should be treated in specified ways. Interventions should have a positive impacts on practical applications in nursing homes and on enhancing residents' remaining function.