Improving the Image and Quality of Nursing Homes

March 2000  -  One the fastest growing groups in America right now is the elderly.  As their numbers grow, so does their life expectancy.  "The increasing longevity of the elderly, for many families, now means they will spend approximately as many years tending to their elderly parents as their parents spent tending to them as children," says Brooks Hill, professor of speech communication at Trinity University.  "This is just one change that is forcing us to reassess the treatment of elders more than other generations have in the past." One area of treatment Hill wants to see changed is the quality of care provided by nursing homes.  Hill believes many of the problems associated with nursing homes can be linked to negative stereotypes.  For example, he would like to change the perception that a nursing home is a dehumanizing "warehouse for senior citizens" and that caregivers are people who could not make it as real nurses.  "We simply need to make people of all ages aware of the false bases of their stereotypes and the negative consequences for elders," says Hill. Hill also believes poor communication on the part of caregivers, the elderly, and their families also leads to extensive uncertainty and anxiety.  Setting aside times for families to talk with caregivers is needed, as is more input from the elderly on their own care. Can better communication really improve elderly care?  Hill has been involved in research where education and training, based on communication theories, have brought profound and immediate results.  To speak to him about nursing home problems and solutions, contact Russell Guerrero at (210) 999-8406 or by e-mail at rguerrer@trinity.edu.

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Last updated on June 7, 2000 by the Office of Public Relations