National surveys report that over 13% of nursing homes receive deficiency ratings related to the preservation of residents' dignity and care respectful of them as unique individuals. Nurse aides (NAs), who provide over 60% of personal care, learn few skills that help them address these deficiencies. NAs are often unprepared to offer empathic care that would foster meaningful and respectful caring relationships. Story Sharing: Enriching Nurse Aide-Resident Relations, a longitudinal mixed methodology study guided by Watson's theory of transpersonal caring, aims to improve caring behaviors toward residents by increasing NA levels of empathy, job attitude, mutuality, and self-efficacy. The effects of a three-session Story Sharing (StS) intervention will be compared to a Communication Skills (CS) condition. Interventions will be randomly assigned to six nursing homes. A convenience sample of 20 NAs in each of the six homes (N=120 NAs) will participate in the study. Based on the outcomes of a feasibility pilot study, a pre- and posttest for the outcome measures (empathy, job attitude, mutuality, and self-efficacy) will be administered with follow-up at 3- and 6- month intervals. NA turnover rates will be monitored at baseline and at 6-month intervals for 12 months post intervention. NAs will participate in small-group interviews. Interpretive analysis of open-ended interview data will reveal the nature of caring relationships among the sample of NAs and residents. A resident matched to each participating NA will complete the Caring Behaviors Assessment and Mutuality Scales and participate in an interview. The study will also include monthly support forums. Statistical analysis of the instrumentation responses and interpretive analysis of interview texts will be used. Story Sharing promises to offer a new caring intervention for NAs as they develop empathic and mutual care relationships that recognize the uniqueness and dignity of each resident.
| Heliker, Diane (2009) Enhancing relationships in long-term care: through story sharing. J Gerontol Nurs 35:43-9 |
| Heliker, Diane (2007) Story sharing: restoring the reciprocity of caring in long-term care. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 45:20-3 |
