Partners in caregiving in a special care environment: Cooperative communication between staff and families on dementia units.

Citation Robinson, J., Curry, L., Gruman, C., Porter, M., Henderson, C. R., & Pillemer, K. (2007). Partners in caregiving in a special care environment: Cooperative communication between staff and families on dementia units. The Gerontologist, 47(4), 504-515.

Design Experiment

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an intervention designed to improve communication and cooperation between staff and families of residents in nursing home dementia units.

Hypothesis Training on communication and conflict-resolution techniques for family members and staff at nursing homes will improve communication and reduce conflict between the two groups

Participants The participants of this experiment were n(family caregivers)= 388 and n (staff)= 384 at 20 nursing homes randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions.

Outcome / Dependent Variables Staff's behavior (as experienced by families), how easy it is to talk to staff (as experienced by families), family involvement, conflict, staff's depression and burnout.

Procedure Project staff conducted training sessions on communication and conflict-resolution techniques with two groups at the intervention sites: staff and resident's family members, followed by a joint meeting with facility administrators.

Outcomes Families, staff, residents, and facility programs all demonstrated positive outcomes from program participation. Families experienced significant improvement in communicating with staff and in staff behaviors toward them. Spouses increased their involvement in resident's care. Staff reported reduced conflict and depression.

Author Robinson, J., Curry, L., Gruman, C., Porter, M., Henderson, C. R., & Pillemer, K.