Abstract

Equipment and Ideas for Nursing Home Staff

Author(s): Stief Jones

How a person behaves in their particular social setting is known as their social functioning (ie, engagement in activities, connectedness with others, and contributions to social roles). Nursing home residents need to have healthy social functioning since they are more likely to experience loneliness and isolation. With the COVID-19 pandemic, residents' risk for impaired social functioning has grown. Social functioning has long been a neglected part of nursing home residents' health.

To support routine care planning and delivery and to monitor and enhance improvements in social functioning over time, a number of trustworthy and well-validated instruments are available. This article's main goal is to offer tools and suggestions for interdisciplinary teams assessing residents of nursing homes for social functioning. We outline the two social functioning measurement domains of care planning and outcome measurement, and we offer suggestions for how to incorporate these measures into practise. The well-being and quality of life of residents of nursing homes must be maintained. Nursing home staff can use the measures and suggestions in this article to comprehend residents' social preferences and address social functioning during COVID-19 and beyond.