Impact of the Eden Alternative on family satisfaction.

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of the Eden Alternative on family satisfaction.

Design: The study was a one-group pre-post design. Families were surveyed prior to the beginning of implementation of the Eden Alternative and again 2 years later.

Setting: The study was conducted at a 150-bed nursing home in the Midwest.

Participants: Thirty-seven family members completed the survey at both time points.

Intervention: More than 80 in-services on the 10 principles of the Eden Alternative were provided to the staff on all shifts over the first year. Implementation of the Eden Alternative began during the second year.

Measurements: The Family Questionnaire, which measures perception of skill and caring nature of caregivers, quality of activities, the environment, contentment of elders, and relationships with administration, was mailed to a family member of each elder living in the nursing home in March of 2002 and again in March of 2004.

Results: There was a significant improvement in family satisfaction, as measured by the Family Questionnaire (P < .0001) after implementation of the Eden Alternative.

Conclusion: The Eden Alternative provided many opportunities for family involvement. The improved satisfaction scores reflected greater communication and interaction among families, staff, and residents.