The Taiwanese Nursing Students' Experience of Using a Creative-Bonding Intervention to Interact with Elders in Long-Term Care Facilities

Monday, 7 July 2008
Shiue Chen, PhD, RN , Nursing, National Tainan Institute of Nursing, Tainan, Taiwan
Sandra M. Walsh, RN, PhD , School of Nursing, Barry University, Miami Springs, FL

Learning Objective 1: 1)The learner will be able to describe the three Creative Bonding Intervention (CBI) activities.

Learning Objective 2: 2)The learner will be able to describe major themes of the study.

Aim. The study explored the feelings of Associate degree Taiwanese nursing students (n = 100) about their experiences after implementation of a Creative-Bonding Intervention (CBI) with elders in long-term care facilities.

Background. The aged population, including elders in Taiwan, is growing worldwide. There is an increased need for nurses willing to care for elders; yet few student nurses have interest in elder care. Nursing faculty have the opportunity to promote student nurses' interest in and attitudes about caring for elders following graduation. Reed's self-transcendence theory was the foundational framework for CBI art activities.

Methods. Students and elders participated in three CBI activities (self-portraits, monoprints, and ribbon gems) during six weekly student-elder interactions. Following the interactions, a content analysis was performed on students' responses to open-ended questions about student-elder interactions and the CBI.

Results. Major themes were: (1) Excitement about self-portraits, (2) positive bonding, and (3) intergenerational caring.

Implications for nursing. Students who are provided with creative ways to approach elders become enthusiastic and excited about student-elder interaction, express new interest in elders, and positive attitudes toward caring for elders in the future. Self-transcendence of both students and elders may be stimulated by creative art interventions.