Identifying how to enhance the quality of life for older adults living in nursing homes can contribute to transforming health care institutions into person-centered homes, an approach to care that places residents’ relationships, life experiences, abilities, preferences and dignity at the forefront. One component of a federally-funded study of 23 nursing homes in Nova Scotia, Canada, focused on how to enhance the quality of life in nursing homes from the perspective of the family members and friends of the residents. Quantitative results clearly showed that from their perspective, homelikeness is associated with higher resident quality of life. We will present qualitative results to provide further insights into how to foster homelikeness within the nursing home environment. We thematically analyzed data collected from family members and friends of nursing home residents through 1) open-ended survey questions from 397 family members and friends, and 2) focus groups with 20 family members and friends who participated in the survey. Analysis of open-ended survey questions resulted in identifying key features that either strengthen or limit homelikeness in nursing homes. Analysis of the focus group data resulted in further identifying how homelikeness can be fostered in three key ways: care provided and relationships (e.g. staffing models that allow for individualized care), public spaces (e.g. the effective use of public spaces to support relationships), and private spaces (e.g. personalization). Our results provide evidence to nursing home decision makers about how to improve resident quality of life through creating a homelike environment.
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