DEVELOPING A WHOLISTIC-INTEGRAL APPROACH TO THE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISABILITY.
Contributors: California Institute of Integral Studies.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 338
Subjects: Philosophy.; Gerontology.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Care of institutionalized, chronically ill Americans has been publicly degraded. Negative attitudes toward aged and disabled people have been projected by mass media. A closer look at "problems" in nursing homes reveals poor support for patients as manifested by insufficient funds for care programs, low social status for caregivers, and a general public refusal to accept the need for most nursing home patients to permanently live there.

This dissertation describes the development of a nursing home care program which integrates Western, medical science with Daoism, an ancient Chinese school of thought. The program considers the life-style, personality traits and nutritional status of the patient-residents to design their heatlh care program. Daily exercise positively affects attitude toward life. Stress-reduction methods and conscious use of color improve health of staff, family/friends and patient-residents.

Whether or not a wholistic-integral approach to patient-resident care improves the quality of life and/or facilitates personal growth for the providers and recipients of care is studied. Hypothetically, if this approach is effective, governmental regulators and citizen groups could increase their understanding of aged and chronically ill people, which subsequently, would improve public attitudes toward nursing homes.

Chapters one and two describe the American medical approach to nursing home care and the wholistic-integral model. Integral approaches to environment, nutrition, exercise and health care are described in chapters four through six. The integration of specific modalities: Tai J(')i Quan, Chinese yoga, transcutaneal electrical nerve stimulation, meditation, acupressure massage and a basic foods program, into the nursing home program are described. Effectiveness of these modalities is measured by patient-residents, family/friends, and staff. Subjective and objective studies of their effectiveness reveal that a majority of the respondents concurred that the wholistic-integral approach to long-term institutional management of chronic disability is valid. It creates a supportive, caring environment whereby patient-residents can receive needed care and live their lives to their fullest potential. It enables family/friends to feel effective as part of the supportive care program. It teaches staff to carry out the everyday routines of nursing home care while simultaneously gaining a greater understanding and appreciation of life.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-04, Section: A, page: 0999.

Thesis (PH.D.)--CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF INTEGRAL STUDIES, 1985.

School code: 0392.