Nursing home residents' self-perceived resources for good sleep.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the nursing home residents' self-perceived resources for good sleep.

DESIGN

A qualitative research design. Episodic interviews were conducted, and analysis was done using thematic coding.

SETTING

Five German nursing homes from different providers.

SUBJECTS: Thirty nursing home residents who were at least 64 years old and oriented to place and person.

RESULTS

The nursing home residents' self-perceived resources for good sleep can be classified into three general patterns: calmness, daily activity, and environmental factors. The residents see calmness as a psychological state and a prerequisite for good sleep. Rumination was reported as the main reason for disruption of calmness. Daily activity is also seen by residents to foster sleep, but most residents do not know how to be physically active. Environmental factors such as fresh air, silence, or the type of bed contribute individually to good sleep; however, nursing home residents usually lack strategies to foster these resources by themselves.

CONCLUSION

The nursing home residents' self-perceived resources for good sleep--calmness, daily activity, and environmental factors--can be starting points for non-pharmacological treatment of sleep disorders. The residents' primary care physicians should explore these individual resources during consultation and attempt to foster them.