Thirty long-term care facilities across the commonwealth of Virginia are working with LeadingAge Virginia to roll out peer support group programs among nursing home residents. The programs are made possible with a grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The two-year project is designed to help nursing home residents connect to each other. The nursing homes will receive training and materials for the program, along with additional support throughout the year. The project will include programs that are adapted for individuals with late-stage dementia, in addition to a peer-to-peer mentorship program for particularly isolated residents.
It is estimated that the same 30% of residents attend the current standard activities, which usually include bingo, movies, and similar events. Most facilities struggle to engage the remaining 70% of residents who say they have difficulty connecting with other residents without support. One of the activities that promote residents in getting to know each other better is the Java Music Club, which does include music, but also ensures that everyone in the group (usually 8-10 people) get a chance to speak. At the end of the discussion, the residents recite an affirmation together and then get a chance to continue chatting over coffee and snacks.
Multiple facilities have studied the program and found that it reduces symptoms of loneliness and depression among participants. The developer of the program has stated that she was inspired to start the group after her own experiences with grief support therapy, which she avoided for years after her older brother died by suicide.
The LeadingAge funding will also sponsor the Java Mentorship Program, which teams up residents and volunteers to visit the more socially isolated patients. The goal is to encourage those residents to engage and participate in other activities. Additional information about this program is available at the following link: The Power of Peer Support Project – Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (clri-ltc.ca).
Compliance Perspective
Issue
All nursing facilities must have a person-centered activities program. The activities provided should be based upon each resident’s comprehensive assessment and care plan; support the interests, preferences, and choices of each resident; and include group, individual, and independent activities. Facilities that do not provide a person-centered activities program can be found noncompliant with F679 Activities, which may result in citations and other sanctions.
Discussion Points
- Review your policy and procedures related to recreation for residents. Ensure that person-centered activities are included in your policy. Update as needed.
- Train all staff on what person-centered care/activities means and how to support the interests, preferences, and choices of each resident. Document that these trainings occurred, and file each signed document in employees individual education file.
- Periodically audit recreational activities to ensure that they are person-centered. Include the preferences, choices, and interests of individual residents and determine that even the most isolated individuals receive programming that is meaningful to them.
