Livsgledehjem 2.0: A national program to strengthen social preparedness

Background: Nursing homes face rising expectations for quality and patient safety while being affected by staffing shortages, organizational change, and events that disrupt routine operations. When routines are disrupted, staff are unfamiliar, or access to digital systems is lost, the risk of insecurity and breakdowns in person-centered practice increases—particularly for residents living with dementia. Social preparedness in nursing homes therefore concerns continuity of safety, meaning, and basic needs even when conditions change.
Aims: To develop and pilot Livsgledehjem 2.0 (Norwegian for “joy-of-life nursing homes”) as a scalable national program that strengthens staff and leadership capacity for person-centered care and supports continuity of care under operational strain and system outages.
Intervention: Livsgledehjem 2.0 is being developed as a national program for nursing homes across Norway, combining modular training for leaders and staff with a simple workflow (“the Livsglede cycle”): mapping needs and preferences → planning measures → implementation → documentation → evaluation and adjustment. The model translates resident knowledge into concrete day-to-day actions (e.g., accsess to outdoor activites and fresh air, individualized activities, conversations, and environmental adaptations) and supports leaders in mobilizing the entire staff group.
Methods (planned testing and indicators): The program will be piloted in selected municipalities from Q2 2026 with an accompanying evaluation. Implementation will be assessed through training completion, leadership anchoring, and use of the workflow. Early outcomes will be explored through brief feedback/observations related to perceived safety, agitation/distress, meaning/belonging, and feasibility for staff and leaders.
Preparedness mechanism/robustness: Person-dependent knowledge is a vulnerability during high turnover, temporary staffing, and operational disruptions. Livsgledehjem 2.0 is therefore designed with redundancy: digital support when systems are available, combined with analog minimum solutions. Life-history mapping is translated into a quality-assured, individual paper-based “Livsglede (joy-of-life) calendar” (a practical quick guide to reassurance strategies, triggers for distress, and concrete preferences for everyday care and activities). This provides immediate support for staff unfamiliar with the resident and may contribute to patient safety during power, internet, or system outages.