In a study published in PLOS One, scientists described what a typical day is like in a nursing home in Australia. In general, the well-being of the elderly living there is low.
However, they found various patterns during the 312 hours that experts spent observing 39 seniors. First, the residents of the nursing home woke up and prepared for a new day, then went to breakfast in the dining room and spent most of the morning in the living room or common area, then ate lunch in the living room. then they either attended an activity or returned to their rooms before dinner.
Most of the social interactions among the elderly were during the main meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
At the same time, most of the elderly (45%) were alone in their rooms, 47.9% were alone and 25.6% were inactive.
Often, older people would communicate with other older people, then with the staff of the nursing home, and finally with the family. Apart from the meal, the residents of the nursing home chatted in their rooms or in the common area.
However, if the elderly spent a lot of time alone or with staff, this was associated with a lower quality of life.
Source: Ferra
