Applying Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to Elder Care

Introduction to Maslow's Hierarchy

In 1954, psychologist Abraham Maslow attempted to bring a great deal of disparate research and findings regarding human motivation into one overarching theory, which resulted in his description of a hierarchy of human needs (Huitt, 2007). Rather than focusing solely on factors like biology, power, and simple conscious definitions of achievement — as many other psychologists and researchers of motivators had tended to do in the past — Maslow attempted to incorporate all of these factors in his hierarchy based on his own observations and past conclusions from other researchers (Huitt, 2007).

The hierarchy is built in a pyramid shape, with the lower needs requiring fulfillment before the higher ones can be addressed, yet with greater motivation and satisfaction resulting from the higher needs (Huitt, 2007). In order from bottom to top, the needs that Maslow identified over several decades of fine-tuning are: physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness and love needs, esteem needs, cognitive needs, aesthetic needs, self-actualization, and finally transcendence (Huitt, 2007). Using this model can be a very effective way to ensure that needs are being met in any care situation, including elder care institutions.

Meeting Basic Physiological and Safety Needs

Every state as well as the federal government has laws regarding the provision of the basic needs of individuals in any licensed care facility, and these are the simplest needs to fulfill — medical, nutritional, and safety needs all have specific procedures defined by law and practice (ECO, 2010). This only fulfills the bottom two needs on the pyramid, however. In fact, research clearly shows that fulfilling needs of belongingness and esteem — the next two levels — can improve physiological health as well (ECO, 2010). Providing for interpersonal interactions through community-building events such as discussion groups and classes can help meet these needs for belonging and esteem.

Fulfilling Belongingness, Esteem, and Cognitive Needs

Community activities can also assist in fulfilling the cognitive needs of individuals. This need can be defined as a "need to know," and showing individuals in elder care facilities the respect they deserve by explaining the structure, policies, schedules, and other aspects of care — so that residents understand how their world is organized — is a surprisingly rare occurrence in many elder care facilities (Huitt, 2007; ECO, 2010). Providing these simple explanations can fill cognitive needs, as can allowing freedom to pursue ongoing learning through reading, discussion, and classes as mentioned above.

Some freedom in the decorative aspects of private rooms, combined with engagement in art projects, music events, and even simply ensuring that every individual in the care facility has access to music and other entertainment sources that they particularly enjoy, will help fulfill the aesthetic needs of individuals. This can also have tremendous positive impacts on some of the lower-level needs of individuals in elder care facilities (ECO, 2010).

Conclusion

Transcendence, in which people assist others in their growth, is achieved through strong community-building efforts (ECO, 2010; Huitt, 2007). By working through each level of Maslow's hierarchy — from meeting basic physical and safety requirements to fostering belongingness, cognitive engagement, aesthetic enjoyment, and ultimately self-actualization and transcendence — elder care institutions can meaningfully improve the quality of life for every resident in their care.