Nursing intervention for grooming of elders with mild cognitive impairments in Korea

This study explores the effect of behavioral nursing intervention strategies to improve the grooming performance of elders with cognitive impairments in Korea. Eight residents with mild cognitive impairments were chosen in a special dementia care facility. A total of 21 sessions, including baseline, interventions, and postinterventions for each resident, were collected in the morning by using videotaped recordings of face-washing, toothbrushing, and hair-combing. The baselines of these activities and postinterventions were provided by nurse assistants, and the interventions were implemented by a trained nurse. The effect of Performance of Grooming Tasks (PGT) was determined. The results showed a decrease in assistance of PGT scores from 0.86, 0.77, and 0.73 at baseline to 0.60, 0.45, and 0.57 during intervention and an increase to 0.77, 0.71, and 0.71 at postintervention. The study showed a significant increase in grooming independence of elders with dementia in the nursing home when they were cared for with behavioral nursing intervention strategies. (Geriatr Nurs 2003;24:11-5)