Beyond bingo: meaningful activities for persons with dementia in nursing homes

The importance of redesigning nursing homes to better emulate living in one's own home has driven regulation reform for decades. The early focus of addressing residents' rights in the Nursing Home Reform Act has slowly expanded to a broader vision of creating "a culture of aging that is life affirming, satisfying, humane and meaningful." Commonly called "culture change," the movement to improve quality of life among older adults in nursing facilities and LTC settings has gained considerable momentum. The primary advocacy group, the Pioneer Network, emphasizes values such as knowing the person, putting the person before the task, emphasizing self-determination, promoting growth and development, and using the environment to its best potential.