A 7 page nursing research proposal to investigate the effects of reminiscence therapy on older patients with dementia. Maintenance of the use of reminiscence therapy can be but does not need to be as formal as the study establishing its value. Nurses and others with direct contact with patients can ask patients questions designed to elicit patients’ memories, and of course the plan can be extended to full therapy sessions. Use of the depression scale over time provides quantifiable changes in patients’ attitudes and outlooks. Bibliography lists 17 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: CC6_KSnursResResDem.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 "states that residents have a right to be free from physical or chemical restraints" (Beck). Eight years after the
Nursing Home Reform Act became law, the national percentage of patients on which nursing homes used physical restraint declined to 14 percent. Four states retained restraint rates that were
much higher, however. In 1999, the rates of restraint in these four states exceeded 20 percent: "26 percent for Louisiana, 24 percent for Arkansas, 23 percent for California,
and 21 percent for Texas" (Beck). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) "requires that caregivers try behavioral interventions before using neuroleptics"
(Beck), but fully 60 percent of charts of reporting skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) make no mention of any behavioral interventions prior to use of these medications. Whether the restraint
is physical or chemical, restrained patients are unchallenged and uninvolved. Emotional consequences include increased "agitation, an increase in disorganized behavior, depression, humiliation, and fear of abandonment" (Beck). Further,
"restraint use results in impaired self-image and frequent catastrophic reactions, particularly in people with dementia" (Beck). Innovative Description Current nursing theories have originated
with at least one individuals background in patient care in conjunction with the theorists higher awareness of the interaction of many factors in realizing physical goals. Studying and discussing
various concepts brings the assessors awareness at least to the same level and perhaps surpasses even that of the individual theorists in that aspects of other theories are included as
well. Though a single theory may not provide a complete perspective, the study of several theories can build a broader one. Reminiscence therapy constitutes only one approach to