Behavioural adjuncts of confusion: How lucid nursing home residents cope with confused co-residents' behaviour

Consequences of cohabitation of confused and lucid residents in nursing hom es has been the subject of much discussion but little empirical research. I n this study, 65 female (mean age = 85) lucid nursing-home residents' exper iences with confused co-residents were investigated. The aim was to assess the impact of confused behaviour on the quality of daily life of nonconfuse d residents. Lazarus' coping model was used to identify ways of coping with confused behaviour. Other measures included self-reports of the frequency of experiencing confused behaviour of other residents, level of satisfactio n or dissatisfaction with these events, and perceived health. Residential s atisfaction was associated with better perceived health, focus-on-positive coping, distancing coping, and not using wishful-thinking coping. Residenti al dissatisfaction was associated with greater potential contact with confu sed residents, confrontive coping, wishful-thinking coping, and not using d istancing coping. While most residents professed a preference for segregate d living arrangements, assessment of coping strategies demonstrated how luc id residents adapted effectively to living with confused people. Discussion focuses on conceptual and practical implications of the findings.