Nursing assistants' behavior toward the institutionalized elderly.

A study conducted at Grant Park Care Center, an intermediate care nursing facility in Washington, DC, explored nursing assistants' attitudes and behavior toward the institutionalized elderly. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to measure the relationship between nursing assistants' job performance and their attitudes toward their supervisors, in-service training, and the elderly. Study results suggest that education promoting appropriate behavior and positive supervisory role models can significantly affect nursing assistants' behavior toward the elderly.