Training Nursing Home Staff in Operant Conditioning and Behavioral Techniques for the Modification of Geriatric Behavior Problems

The aide is the person in most immediate contact with the nursing home resident. This aide is usually poorly educated, poorly paid, and has had no training in gerontology, geriatrics, or the social psychological care of aging individuals. Although a need has been shown, few studies have attempted to construct a workable model for the training of these aides. This paper, using lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and on ward training, developed a vehicle for the training of nursing home aides in behavioral techniques. Target behaviors of nursing home residents were used as the dependent variable. An aide who could successfully carry out a behavior modification project was said to have a working knowledge of behavior therapy techniques