THE IMPACT OF PERSON-CENTERED COMMUNICATION EDUCATION ON NURSING HOME REGULATORY SURVEY OUTCOMES

Sep 29, 2026

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Elderspeak, an infantilizing communication style used with older adults in nursing homes, is addressed through the Changing Talk Online training (CHATO). In a multi-state pragmatic clinical trial, annual nursing home health inspector survey citations across 14 F-tag deficiency categories were compared one year before and one year after participation. Across 66 facilities with inspections in both periods, CHATO showed a significant reduction in deficiency citations at the nursing home level post-intervention. Findings suggest CHATO may support person-centered care and reduce related regulatory deficiencies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Study Background

Elderspeak and Person-Centered Communication

Intervention: CHATO

Asynchronous Training Approach

Methods and Design

Multi-State Pragmatic Clinical Trial

Annual Survey Citation Assessment

Results

Pre- vs Post-Intervention Deficiency Citations

Implications

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 795 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2697 THE IMPACT OF PERSON-CENTERED COMMUNICATION EDUCATION ON NURSING HOME REGULATORY SURVEY OUTCOMES Kristine Williams1, Clarissa Shaw2, Shelby Cooper3, Maria Hein4, Yelena Perkhounkova4, Carissa Coleman5, Frances Yang6, and Maria Roche-Dean7, 1. University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 2. University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 3. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States, 4. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 5. University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 6. University of Kansas, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas, United States, 7. Kirkhof College of Nursing, Grand rapids, Michigan, United States Elderspeak is a form of infantilizing communication commonly used with older adults in nursing homes. This study evaluated the impact of the Changing Talk Online training (CHATO) on standard nursing home annual health inspector surveys in a multi-state pragmatic clinical trial. CHATO is an asynchronous online intervention educating nursing home staff person-centered communication skills through the reduction of elderspeak. Annual health survey citations were examined for 14 F-tag deficiency categories related to resident rights, quality of care, and quality assurance one year before and one year after study participation. Sixty-six of the 142 participating nursing homes had health standard inspections both before and after the study period (intervention n = 31, control n = 35.) Prior to the study period, nine control nursing homes received 13 citations, and six intervention nursing homes received seven citations, which was not significantly different at the nursing home level (Fisher’s exact test, p=.770) . Following the study period, 11 control nursing homes received 14 citations, and two intervention nursing homes received three citations, which is significantly different at the nursing home level (Fisher’s exact test, p = 0.015). These preliminary findings suggest that CHATO communication training may help nursing homes focus on improving person-centered care and reduce related health inspection deficiencies. While the trial’s primary outcomes focus on resident-centered measures from Minimum Data Set (MDS) data that directly reflect the resident’swell-being, these deficiency findings may be particularly compelling for nursing home corporations and owners given their connection to financial penalties and regulatory compliance.

FAQs

What is the CHATO intervention and what communication issue does it target?

CHATO is an asynchronous online training that educates nursing home staff in person-centered communication by reducing elderspeak.

How were nursing home regulatory outcomes measured in the trial?

Annual health inspector survey citations were examined for 14 F-tag deficiency categories related to resident rights, quality of care, and quality assurance, comparing one year before and one year after participation.

What did the study find about deficiency citations after CHATO?

After the study period, deficiency citations differed significantly at the nursing home level for control versus intervention facilities (Fisher’s exact test, p = 0.015).

Who may benefit from these deficiency-related findings?

The deficiency findings may be especially relevant for nursing home corporations and owners because they connect to financial penalties and regulatory compliance.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Aria