COHABITATION OF ALERT RESIDENTS WITH COGNITIVELY IMPAIRED PEERS IN NURSING-HOMES - THE NURSING STAFFS POINT-OF-VIEW

The nursing staffs point of view has rarely been examined in regard to the difficulties of cohabitation of alert residents with those who ar e cognitively impaired. The aims of this study were to assess the nurs ing staffs preference for mixed or segregated care settings and to ide ntify the factors related to this preference. A systematic sample of 3 49 nursing staff members working in mixed care settings in 19 nursing homes in Montreal (Canada) completed a questionnaire. There were as ma ny staff members who favored mixed care settings as there were those w ho preferred segregated settings. A stepwise regression analysis revea led that 46% of the variance is explained by the model, and factors re lated to staff concerns about residents accounted for 42% of that vari ance. Notably, staff members who gave a lower rating to the disadvanta ges for lucid residents living on mixed care units or those who report ed more benefits for nonlucid residents living on mixed care units wer e more in favor of cohabitation. Factors related to staff members' per sonal concerns explain 3% of the variance. In-service educational stra tegies are discussed.