Two Successful Interventions in Nursing Homes: The Therapeutic Effects of Cognitive Activity

Abstract

Two experimental social psychological interventions were introduced in a nursing home setting. One intervention consisted of giving the elderly residents an enhanced sense of control over their environment, and the other provided the residents with incentives to remember information about certain aspects of nursing home life. The therapeutic changes that occurred were attributed to the increased cognitive activity brought about by the interventions that encouraged the residents to be mindfully, rather than mindlessly, involved with their surroundings.