Individualized Care in Practice: Communication Strategies of Nursing Aides and Residents in Nursing Homes

Individualizing care in nursing homes can be difficult and complex. The purpose of this study is to characterize the meaning of and experiences with individualized care from the perspectives of both nursing aides and nursing-home residents. Eight focus groups of nursing aides (N =17) and residents (N=15) from two nursing homes generated four dialectical themes related to communication strategies: (a) getting to know versus maintaining a protective distance, (b) mutual respect versus disrespect, (c) avoiding versus addressing conflict, and (d) equity versus perceived favoritism. These findings suggest dialectics in how interpersonal communication affects individualized care from the perspectives of both nursing aides and residents.

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