Objective: To identify behavioral responses by nursing home residents with severe cognitive impairment during participation in different activities.
Design: Qualitative Observational study
Materials and Methods: 16 residents in two special care units. Mean score at the Global Deterioration Scale: 5,8. Mean age: 85,5 years. In 24 days, data concerning behavior during participation in different activities was collected by direct observations. Activity included all kinds of planned or spontaneous activity initiated by the subject or others. Analyse of data was guided by concepts about spatial relations between behavior and object. Data was divided into two groups concerning behavior or object and analyzed according to directions by Spradley and Lofland. Data related to behavior was organized into an ethogram.
Results: Behavior related to participation in activities might involve eyes, mouth, head, arms, and legs, upper and lower body parts. The movement or positions of the body is either directed toward the activity or not-directed. Behavior directed toward an activity might be synchronized to the dynamic of the activity or the directed behavior is asyncrone, which means, that the behavior of the participant is focused on only one element of the activity. Behavior labelled as “not-directed” is directed towards other objects than those involved in the activity. Depending of the type and number of parts of the body involved in the behavior three types of directed or not-directed behavior during an activity can be outlined, namely impressive, expressive and manufacturing.
Conclusion: The taxonomy of behavior of nursing home resident with severe cognitive impairment during participation can serve as basis for studies of outcome related to participation in different activities.
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