<p> The growth in the older adult population will result in an increasing number of individuals with functional and cognitive limitations. The demand for nursing home administrators will grow proportionately with the aging population and the need for effective leadership within nursing homes is and will continue to be imperative as the population ages. Identifying top-rated nursing homes that provide quality care is essential to understanding the operations of successful long-term care facilities. Nursing home administrators (NHAs) are tasked with leading and directing provision of skilled, intermediate and rehabilitation care on a 24-hour basis while ensuring high quality operations. Identifying the character strengths of nursing home administrators who lead exemplary nursing homes may benefit other nursing home leaders who lead lower rated or underperforming facilities. In this qualitative study, 19 nursing home administrators who lead exemplary facilities across Indiana completed the Value in Action Inventory Strengths (VIA-IS) questionnaire and engaged in face-to-face interviews. Analysis of the interview data via NVivo indicated how the use of character strengths is crucial to effective leadership within long-term care. Creativity, fairness, bravery, perspective, and judgment were identified by a majority of study participants as essential to decisionmaking and problem solving, especially in a heavily regulated environment. Humor, hope, courage, and spirituality were acknowledged as contributing to a positive and optimistic environment. Humor, hope, courage, and spirituality were also noted as coping mechanisms when faced with stress and adversity. Honesty, kindness, love, teamwork, and gratitude were emphasized by the study participants as essential to relationship development and formation of trust with staff, residents, and families. This study allowed participants the opportunity to reflect on their own character strengths and leadership both personally and professionally. This reflection resulted in increased self-awareness and appreciation of their staff, residents, and roles as nursing home administrators. </p><p>

published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health