The Self-Care Self-Efficacy Enhancement Program for Chinese Nursing Home Elders

The purpose of this article is to introduce a theory-based intervention program, the Self-Care Self-Efficacy Enhancement Program (SCSEEP), which was derived from Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). The SCSEEP, based on the concept of “perceived self-efficacy” within the SCT, was designed to improve self-care ability in Chinese nursing home elders. The theory-based SCSEEP was tested during a pilot study involving 42 elders from 2 nursing homes in Taiwan. Following the study, basic activities of daily living performance improved significantly in treatment group residents. Many Chinese elders are placed in nursing homes in the United States; thus, the SCSEEP may also be used as a theory-based caring model to improve self-care performance in Chinese Americans.