Participation in Nursing Home Resident Councils: Promise and Practice

Abstract

Although nursing home resident councils have been advocated as a method of resident participation and nursing home reform, little attention has focused on how councils work in actual practice. This study draws on data from a mail survey and specialized interviews to examine council activities in central Illinois. Among the findings are that, although councils can facilitate communication and discussion of some resident problems, they generally do not alter facility policy or transfer power to residents. Councils can be a step toward participation, but alone they do not ensure such participation.