mhl themes

Promoting Quality of Life in Care Homes

My Home Life: Themes

Professor Julienne Meyer


1) Maintaining identity

“It is important for people to realise that what may seem a small matter to the management of the organisation is of great importance to some people living in a place. Everyone has different standards and tastes, but knowing the individual and their ways is helpful”


Maintaining identity

•How can we best understand the person beneath the dementia or the individual inside their frailty?


2) Sharing decision-making

“There is a lot of experience among us [residents] but the skills we have developed in our lives are completely wasted … There are a lot of things that residents could share if give an opportunity.”


Sharing decision-making

•How can we prevent the routines in a home eroding a resident’s sense of control and purpose?


3) Creating communities“When I was not well one day, a lot of residents came up to see me as they missed me and visited me. It has helped. It is the other residents and staff together – everybody. I have more friends here.”


Creating community

•How can we prevent care homes from becoming ‘islands of the old’?


4) Managing transitions

“I have lived in this residential home for two years … I have now rebuilt my life, thanks to the proprietor and staff. I now want to put the past behind me and live in the present and live as active a life as possible.”


Managing transitions

•How can we help residents and relatives cope with the upheaval and loss associated with moving into a home?


5) Improving health and healthcare

“It was useful to have access to a physiotherapist or occupational therapist when I needed it to help me with my mobility to enable me to be independent and keep my confidence"


Improving health & healthcare


Improving health and healthcare

•Thinking creatively, what can we do to improve the health of our residents so that they can enjoy life more?


6) Supporting good end-of-life

“Death is such a taboo subject. It’s a big problem because all of us are so near to death. By 90 you can’t get much nearer without knowing that it is around the corner, and we need to be able to express that sometimes if we want"


Supporting good end of life

•What impact might experiencing repeated death have on staff, residents and relatives?


7) Keeping workforce fit for purpose

“The more training we’ve given the girls, the better it’s been. The better the care’s been … the place is starting to get a better reputation”


Keeping workforce fit for purpose

•How do we know that we have had sufficient training to look after our residents the best we can?


8) Promoting a positive culture

“You get everything done for you here, but I think it tends to make you lazy. I would love to be working. I would rather cook for myself but you are not allowed in the kitchen, and you are not allowed in the laundry either”


Promoting a positive culture

•How do we stop the day-to-day tasks in the home from getting in the way of forming positive relationships with residents, relatives and staff?

mhl themes

Health & Medicine