Dementia – Supporting Carers – Page 18

Resourcefulness Training for Women Dementia Caregivers: Acceptability and Feasibility of Two Methods. (Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 2016, 37(4))

Almost 10 million women in the United States are caregivers for elders with dementia and many experience extreme stress that compromises their health. Acceptable and feasible interventions to teach them resourcefulness skills for managing stress may improve their health and facilitate continued caregiving. This study examined two commonly used methods for practicing skills taught during resourcefulness training (RT) to women caregivers of elders with dementia (n=63): journaling and digital voice recording. It also explored whether providing caregivers a choice between the two methods made it more acceptable or feasible. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected before, during, and after RT. Caregivers who recorded used more words (M=5446) but recorded fewer days (M=17) than those who journaled (M=2792 words and M=27 days). Similar concerns in relation to time management and practice method were expressed by women caregivers irrespective of practice method (journal versus recorder) or random versus choice condition. While journaling was more frequent than recording, more words were expressed during recordings. Perceived stress and depressive symptoms were unrelated to the number of practice days or word counts, suggesting RT acceptability and feasibility even for highly stressed or depressed caregivers. Because intervention feasibility is important for RT effectiveness testing, alternatives to the journaling and recording methods for practicing RT skills should be considered.

Resourcefulness Training for Women Dementia Caregivers: Acceptability and Feasibility of Two Methods. (Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 2016, 37(4)) (Follow this link if you have an Athens password). Alternatively contact the UHSM Academy Library for a copy of the article or call 0161 291 5778)

Information Needs of Family Caregivers of People With Dementia. (Rehabilitation Nursing, 2016, 41(3))

Understanding caregiver needs is essential when caring for people with dementia. The aim of this study was to identify family caregivers’ information needs as perceived by home care workers and the caregivers themselves. This study used a descriptive survey design and convenience sampling. The two groups of care providers were given a list of 48 items and asked to choose caregivers’ top 10 information needs.
Findings: Group 1 (n = 33 unpaid family caregivers) identified dealing with behavior changes and group 2 (n = 59 paid home care workers) identified providing personal care as most important. Conclusion
While differences between these groups emerged, both care providers chose more items related to needing help for the care recipient, than items related to needing help for the caregivers themselves, e.g., support group.

Information Needs of Family Caregivers of People With Dementia. (Rehabilitation Nursing, 2016, 41(3)) (Follow this link if you have an Athens password). Alternatively contact the UHSM Academy Library for a copy of the article or call 0161 291 5778)

Dementia-related work activities of home care nurses and aides: Frequency, perceived competence, and continuing education priorities. (Educational Gerontology, 2016, 42(2))

An understanding of the specific dementia learning needs of home care staff is needed to plan relevant continuing education (CE) programs and supports. The study’s objective was to examine frequency and perceived competence in performing 20 dementia-related work activities, and identify CE priorities among home care staff. A cross-sectional survey of all home care staff in a primarily rural health region was used to gather data. Of 111 eligible staff, 82 participated (41 nursing aides, 41 nurses/case managers). To explore the relationship between activity frequency (F) and competence (C), the proportion of nurses and aides in four quadrants for each activity was examined: (1) low F-low C, (2) low F-high C, (3) high F-low C, and (4) high F-high C. Nurses/case managers were significantly more likely than aides to regularly perform 11 activities and to report high competence in 9 activities (p < .05); aides were more likely to assist with two activities (personal care and daily living activities). Thus, nurses/case managers performed a broader range of activities and reported higher competence overall. The top CE topic for both groups was recognizing differences between dementia subtypes, but rankings for most activities varied by group. Aides’ CE priorities indicated a desire to develop competence in low frequency-low competence activities, suggesting an expanded role in supporting dementia patients and their families. Nurses’ CE priority topics were in the high F-high C quadrant, indicating a need to further develop competence in these activities. Findings have implications for planning CE programming for home care providers. The Academy Library does not currently subscribe to the journal that this article appears in, however we can most likely request it from another library. Please contact the UHSM Academy Library for more detail or call 0161 291 5778.

Empowerment of young people who have a parent living with dementia: a social model perspective. (International Psychogeriatrics, 2016, 28(4))

Socially constructed disablement has marginalized young people in families where a parent has younger onset dementia (YOD). This has contributed to inadequate societal support for their complex situation. Impacts on such young people include significant involvement with mental health services for themselves. In this paper, we explored the young people’s lived experiences in these families and the influencing factors to enable these young people to be included and supported within their community.Methods: In this qualitative research study, the social model of disability was used as the theoretical framework in conducting a thematic analysis of interviews with 12 participants.Results: Three themes emerged; invisibility highlighting the issues of marginalization; connectivity foregrounding the engagement of young people with family, friends and their social networks, and being empowered through claiming their basic human right to receive the age appropriate support they needed.Conclusion: The current plight of young people living with a parent with YOD demands a fundamental shift by society in developing inclusive cross-sectorial cooperation linking service providers across youth and dementia sectors. This requires working in partnership with the service users responding to the identified needs of individual family members.

The Academy Library does not currently subscribe to the journal that this article appears in, however we can most likely request it from another library. Please contact the UHSM Academy Library for more detail or call 0161 291 5778.

The influence of day care centres for people with dementia on family caregivers: an integrative review of the literature. (Aging & Mental Health, 2016 20(5))

Day care centres (DCC) for people with dementia (PWD) have received increased attention recently, due to a shift in policy from the use of residential care towards home-based services. The aim of this study is to provide an extended understanding of the influence of DCCs on family caregivers (FCs).

Facilitating independence: The benefits of a post-diagnostic support project for people with dementia. (Dementia 2016, 15(2))

Providing support in the form of information, advice and access to services or social events is promoted as beneficial for people newly diagnosed with dementia and their families. This paper reports on key findings from an evaluation of a post-diagnostic support pilot project in Scotland addressing local service gaps, namely information provision, emotional and practical support and maintaining community links. Twenty-seven participants (14 people newly diagnosed with dementia and 13 family carers) were interviewed at two time points: T1 shortly after joining the pilot project and T2 approximately six months later, to ascertain their views on existing services and the support offered by the pilot project. A comparative thematic analysis revealed that the project facilitated increased independence (associated with increased motivation and self-confidence) of people with dementia. The project illustrates what can be achieved if resources are targeted at providing individualised post-diagnostic support, particularly where there are service delivery gaps.

Specialist nursing and community support for the carers of people with dementia living at home: an evidence synthesis (Health & Social Care in the Community 2016 24(1))

Specialist nurses are one way of providing support for family carers of people with dementia, but relatively little is known about what these roles achieve, or if they are more effective than roles that do not require a clinical qualification. The aim of this review was to synthesize the literature on the scope and effectiveness of specialist nurses, known as Admiral Nurses, and set this evidence in the context of other community-based initiatives to support family carers of people with dementia.

Specialist nursing and community support for the carers of people with dementia living at home: an evidence synthesis (Follow this link if you have an Athens password). Alternatively contact the UHSM Academy Library for a copy of the article or call 0161 291 5778)