Cognitive maps of environmental knowledge and preference in nursing home patients

Abstract

Knowledge of the nursing home environment was investigated; age was negatively related to accuracy in identifying the locations of slide-depicted scenes. Patients who lived several years in the nursing home were less able to identify the locations than were students was received a 5 min exposure to each area. Variable identification performance across areas was the result of relative visual distinctiveness rather than differential familiarity. Preference structures for different areas of the nursing home were also studied. Patients indicated a marked preference for their own room relative to common areas. Two different models of nursing design were suggested: a social facilitation model emphasizing the allocation of a large proportion of space to common areas, and an ethological model emphasizing preferences of patients for more private space.