Enhancing Autonomy in Long-term Care

Book excerpt: This volume assesses the importance of autonomy to quality of life in long-term care facilities. First addressing conceptual issues, the editors then pose such questions as: What is autonomy and what does it mean in the context of physically and/or cognitively impaired elders? What is the effect of nursing home financing and federal regulations? How does the traditional medical model, which casts residents as "patients", affect autonomy? How does the physical environment make a difference? The contributors then go on to describe six successful models of care that provide a more meaningful quality of life through promoting autonomy. Contributors include Robert and Rosalie Kane, Keren Brown Wilson, and Bart Collopy.