Health promotion in long-term care. Results of expert interviews

Background and objectives. This article focuses on the particular challenges nursing homes have to deal with concerning long-term care. They see themselves confronted with residents suffering from an increasing amount of functional disabilities and cognitive impairments. Simultaneously, changes in working conditions and workload have a negative impact on the health status of professional caregivers. Therefore, health promotion and prevention have become important issues concerning the further development of institutionalized long-term care. Empirical studies increasingly point out the possibilities and potentials of health promotion in this sector but it is unclear how these challenges are perceived and reacted to in long-term care facilities and what importance is attached to health promotion activities and what approaches are picked up and implemented. Methods. Expert interviews were carried out to answer these questions. Results. The results show that health promotion and prevention in institutions that supply long-term care are rated important but not most important. Nevertheless, there are a number of health promotion activities that are carried out. Conclusion. When implementing health promotion activities institutions have to deal with obstacles, e.g. conceptual vagueness and skill shortages. These factors have to be taken into consideration when planning and establishing health promotion activities.