The Promotion of Well-Being in Aging Individuals Living in Nursing Homes: A Controlled Pilot Intervention with Narrative Strategies

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The study aimed: (1) to compare levels of well-being and distress in older adults living in nursing homes with those living in community; and (2) to test the feasibility of a positive narrative intervention for improving well-being versus a control art-and-craft intervention in a nursing home setting.

Methods: Sixty older adults participated in the study (M = 77.37; SD = 5.00), Male = 20 (33.3%). In Study 1, 30 adults living in nursing homes were compared with 30 community-dwellers using the following measures: Satisfaction with Life Scale, Psychological Well-being Scale, Social Well-being Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, and sleep quality. In Study 2, the same 30 adults living in nursing homes were allocated to a positive narrative intervention group (N = 20) or to a control group (N = 10) and assessed at post-intervention.

Results: In Study 1, older adults in nursing homes presented more depression and impairments in well-being, compared to community-dwellers. In Study 2, at post-treatment, individuals assigned to the narrative intervention reported significantly increased well-being and sleep quality.

Conclusions: Although preliminary, results showed that older adults living in nursing homes are more vulnerable than community-dwellers. These patients experienced improvement when given a short group positive narrative intervention applicable in nursing homes.

Clinical Implications: A brief group intervention based on fairy tales yielded improvements in well-being and sleep quality in nursing home residents, who enjoyed and appreciated its content. These promising results need to be confirmed by future randomized controlled trials.

KEYWORDS:

• Depression
• nursing home
• older adults
• positive narrative intervention
• satisfaction with life
• well-being

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the staff and the participants of the following nursing homes: Villa Letizia (Civitanova Marche), Opera pia A. Gatti (Montecosaro), I.R.C.E.R Assunta (Recanati), Rosina Gervasi (Porto Recanati) for their collaboration.

Funding

This work was financially supported by Rotary Club (Civitanova Marche) and MATERMAMMA Wanda Onlus. Founding sources had no such involvement in study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, in the writing of the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by Rotary Club (Civitanova Marche) and MATERMAMMA Wanda Onlus. Founding sources had no such involvement in study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, in the writing of the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication.