(Sonia Bipin Amin, 1997)
Juliette Fowler Homes is a non-profit organization founded in 1888. There are three sectors of the institution: Children, Youth, and Family Services; Fowler Christian Apartments, Inc.; and Pearl Nordan Care Center. The Pearl Nordan Care Center is an intermediate nursing care facility with a capacity of 120 beds. An activities program is scheduled for residents on a weekly basis. Activities at nursing homes are important because they build self-confidence and keep residents alert. A good activities program will, therefore, ultimately promote a sense of well- being for the elderly. In designing a program, social services directors must also consider the significance of state regulations.
In the past, there has been little assessment of activities schedules at the Nordan Care Center. Directors and assistants agree that there is a need for a method of evaluation to indicate if resident needs are being met. Such a method could lead to increased resident welfare. A thorough analysis would also serve as justification for implemented programs.
The first main research procedure was gathering information on a sample of residents from different functioning levels. Independent ratings were calculated in five need areas according to individual preferences (surveys), attendance histories, and expert opinions: Next, an optimization model was designed to maximize the amount of needs met in a schedule under a given set of conditions. The results of the resident sample analysis reveal some discrepancies among expert views, resident views, and the actual appeal of activities. The mathematical model reports show which needs are barely met, under-met, and well- met in typical activities programs.