THE RELOCATION OF NURSING-HOME RESIDENTS - AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE ADVANTAGES GAINED BY PLANNING A NEW PROGRAM AND DESIGNING AN IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION TOGETHER

This paper describes a collaboration between an evaluation team and th e management and staff responsible for relocating nursing home residen ts to a new, state-of-the-art facility,. Both the relocation plan and the implementation evaluation of this plan are detailed in order to il lustrate the link between program planning and evaluation. I argue tha t combining program planning and implementation evaluation activities is of value to a wide range of organizations contemplating the develop ment and implementation of a new program. Then I draw upon the researc h utilization literature to discuss how the collaborative relationship between the evaluation team and management contributed to the success of both program planning and program evaluation activities. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.