My parents had a friend who managed a nursing home.  He always said that the single biggest factor in a resident's happiness was who made the decision for him to be there.  If the individual decided for himself, it usually was a good result for everyone.  If the family forced him to be there, the resentment usually made it miserable for everyone involved, including the staff.  That said, encouragement is not forcing, but it needs to be his decision in the end.  When my grandfather went to an assisted living home, he decided to go over the objection of his family.  It turned out to be a great decision; he had many happy years there (lived to be 108), the staff sort of adopted him as their mascot, and he made friends with many of the residents.  A big factor was the better nutrition.  He liked the meals and they had much more variety than what he fixed for himself.