Teaghlach - Nursing Homes

The Teaghlach Project aims to change the culture of care to support older people to direct their own lives ‘at home’ supported by consistent and valued teams of healthcare staff in an environment reflective as much as possible of the older person’s own home.

Most older people live in their own home and many receive some formal help with activities of daily living. However, a minority require a level of care that cannot be provided in their own homes and consequently move to nursing homes. Moving to a nursing home is a significant life change for an older person requiring many adjustments to their daily routines and established patterns of living.

The traditional culture of care in nursing homes has been informed and shaped by the medical tasks and care routines of health care professionals, for whom it can be difficult to appreciate that the nursing home is ‘home’ for its residents. The Teaghlach Project aims to change the culture of care away from the task-orientated model to one which supports older people to direct their own lives ‘at home’.

NetwellCASALA researchers are currently examining the views and experiences of residents and staff as they undertake cultural and environmental changes in their nursing home, documenting changes in working practices, daily routines and relationships over time. Our current research, under the Teaghlach project, examines the delivery and embedding of more person-centered dementia-specific models of care for staff working in residential settings.