A medical director saw nursing home care to be delivered in unconventional ways in decades past. Today, he is reaping the benefits of better patient care. Breaking the law, he brought in animals, flowers, and vegetables. The rationale was that the elderly were living self-fulfilling prophesies, that growing old was depressing and diminishing. This in turn led to more medication, isolation, and loneliness.
The change in environment created the opposite effect with less medication, more movement, and less wheelchairs. The accommodations were changed to make services like bathroom facilities more available. Other nursing homes followed suit, putting the Harvard doctor’s theories into practices. For more, read the story.
