Open-Ward Accommodations in a Long-Term Care Facility: The Elderly's Point of View

Abstract

A field study of residents' satisfaction or dissatisfaction with open-ward accommodations in a skilled-nursing facility revealed that 88% of the respondents preferred the open ward to any other type of room accommodation. Findings suggest that for residents with multiple functional disabilities, the open ward is a supportive environment. Advantages and disadvantages of the open ward are discussed. Further research is needed to determine the type of room accommodation most appropriate for the institutionalized elderly with multiple functional and social losses.