THE EFFECT OF SKILL TRAINING ON FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES OF NURSING-HOME RESIDENTS WITH DEMENTIA

The purpose of this experimental study was to compare the effects of s kill training, a traditional stimulation approach, and regular care (c ontrol group) on the ability to perform the basic activities of daily living of nursing home residents with dementia. Sixty-three subjects w ere randomly selected and randomly assigned to the three groups. Abili ty to perform the basic activities of daily living (ADLs) and progress toward meeting individually set ADL-related goals were measured. Sign ificant differences were found in two of the three measures used. In g eneral, the greatest improvement was found in the skill training group , modest improvement in the simulation group, and decline in the contr ol group. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.