An exploration of occupation in nursing home residents with dementia

Objectives: This study evaluated the sitting room environment of two nursing homes in Ireland, using interactive occupation and social engagement as outcome measures and defining these rooms as occupational spaces. Method: Snapshot observational recordings were made in the main sitting rooms during the periods of time when the rooms were in most active use. Narrative information was also recorded. Results: Residents were more likely to occupy their time in the main sitting room passively, rather than in interactive occupation and social engagement. The nursing home residents with dementia spent approximately 70% of their daily time in the main sitting room areas in states of occupational disengagement. Discussion: Additional insight is provided through pragmatic narrative descriptions of the functioning of the main sitting room environment in terms of interactive occupation and social engagement. Relevance: The research study demonstrates a methodology for evaluating the sitting room areas of a care environment, using interactive occupation and social engagement as outcome measures, which can be used for descriptive and comparative insights into the performance of care environments.