Advance care planning in dementia: recommendations for healthcare professionals

Control Beliefs after a Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: The Need to Foster Resilience

Objectives: Positive adaptation, like higher control beliefs, following a disability diagnosis is important to buffer against excess disability; however, no study has examined how the recent diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) impacts control beliefs. The current study addresses this gap in the literature. Method: We use data from the 2012-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Propensity score weighting was used to address the systematic selection of an ADRD diagnosis to understand how control beliefs (perceived constraints and mastery) are impacted two years following a diagnosis. Results: A new diagnosis of ADRD was associated with a lower mastery score two years later, regardless of baseline functional ability (b = -0.652, p < .001). No associations were noted between a new ADRD diagnosis and perceived constraints. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a recent diagnosis of ADRD has negative implications for mastery, which may facilitate excess disability.

Comorbid Dementia and Cancer Therapy Decision-Making: A Scoping Review

Comorbid dementia complicates cancer therapy decision-making in older adults. We aimed to synthesize the recent literature (<5 years) on the challenges associated with cancer therapy decision-making among older people living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers. Of the 20,763 references, 8767 had their title and abstract screened, and eight met the inclusion criteria. Six studies were qualitative, one study employed mixed methods, and one study was quasi-experimental. Most studies were conducted in the UK (89%) and reported homogeneity in race and geography. Breast (56%) and prostate (45%) were the most frequent reported cancers. Five studies (56%) reported multiple types of dementia, with two (22%) indicating stages. The studies indicated that communication between patients, caregivers, and clinical teams might alleviate stress caused by worsening health prospects and potential ethical concerns. Information from this review can lead to better-informed, patient-centered treatment decision processes among older PLWD and cancer, their caregivers, and clinicians.

Applying human-centered design to adapt the Jumpstart Guide for goals-of-care discussions in persons living with dementia

BACKGROUND

Goals-of-care discussions (GOCD) are uncommon in persons living with dementia (PLWD) despite the likelihood of eventual loss of decisional capacity in the population. The Jumpstart Guide, an existing serious illness communication priming tool, can improve GOCD in certain populations, but has not previously been adapted for use among PLWD and their caregivers.

METHODS

Using human-centered design (HCD), we adapted the Jumpstart Guide for use with PLWD and their caregivers. We conducted qualitative interviews with clinicians and caregivers of PLWD. Six team members conducted qualitative rapid analysis of interviews leading to the development of summary templates and integrative matrices. Four iterations of the Jumpstart Guide led to the final version.

RESULTS

Thirteen clinicians and 11 caregivers were interviewed. Interviews provided key insights into the unique barriers PLWD and their caregivers face during GOCD, including discomfort with accepting a dementia diagnosis and concern with using "serious illness" to describe dementia, as is commonly done in palliative care. Clinicians described differences in GOCD with PLWD compared to other serious illnesses, and the challenge of getting patients and families to think about future health states. Interviews led to Jumpstart Guide adaptations in the following domains: (1) format and structure, (2) content, and (3) specific language. Suggested changes included prioritizing naming a decision-maker, changing conversation prompts to improve accessibility and understandability, ensuring the Jumpstart Guide could be used with patients as well as their caregivers, and altering language to avoid references to "serious illness" and "abilities."

CONCLUSION

Using HCD yielded valuable insights from clinicians and caregivers about the unique barriers to conducting GOCD among PLWD and their caregivers. These insights were used to adapt the Jumpstart Guide for use with PLWD and their caregivers, which is currently being tested in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial in outpatient clinics.

Advanced Care Directives in Residential Aged Care for Residents with Major Neuro-Cognitive Disorders (Dementia): A Scoping Review

The aim of this review was to identify, assess, collate, and analyze existing research that has made a direct contribution to aiding understanding of the ethical and decision-making issues related to the use of advance care directives for people with dementia and/or other major neurocognitive disorders and/or their surrogate decision-makers on treatment. The Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL, Academic Search Ultimate, and MEDLINE databases were searched between August and September 2021 and July to November 2022 limited to primary studies written in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Twenty-eight studies of varying quality that addressed related thematic areas were identified. These themes being support for autonomy in basic needs (16%), making decisions ahead/planning ahead and upholding these decisions (52%), and support in decision-making for carers (32%). Advance care directives are an important mechanism for documenting treatment preferences in patient care planning. However, the available literature on the topic is limited in both quantity and quality. Recommendations for practice include involving decision makers, promoting educational interventions, exploring how they are used and implemented, and promoting the active involvement of social workers within the healthcare team.

Advanced-Comfort: Usability Testing of a Care Planning Intervention for Nursing Home Residents With Advanced Dementia

Many nursing home (NH) residents with advanced dementia receive burdensome interventions rather than interventions that promote comfort or quality of life. The purpose of the current study was to test the usability of a novel intervention, ADVANCED-Comfort, which aims to enhance the provision of personalized care for residents with advanced dementia. The intervention comprises structured care plan meetings between the NH team and proxies of residents with dementia (e.g., family members). Using the ADVANCED-Comfort workbook, proxies create individualized care plans addressing six domains adapted from the Age-Friendly Health System Framework. The purpose of this article is to describe the intervention and its theoretical underpinnings and report the usability of the intervention evaluated with surveys, observation, and exit interviews. The study demonstrated that proxies and NH staff found the intervention usable (acceptable, appropriate, and feasible). Based on these preliminary findings, additional testing of the ADVANCED-Comfort intervention is warranted. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 49(11), 15-23.].

Staff and Proxy Views of Multiple Family Member Involvement in Decision Making for Nursing Home Residents With Advanced Dementia

Decision making for nursing home (NH) residents with Alzheimer disease and related dementias often involves input from multiple family members and NH staff to address goals of care at the end of life. Using data from the Assessment of Disparities and Variation for Alzheimer's disease Nursing home Care at End of life research study, a secondary analysis of qualitative data was conducted involving interviews of 144 NH staff and 44 proxies in 14 NHs to examine the perspectives of NH staff and proxies for NH residents with Alzheimer disease and related dementias on the involvement of multiple family members in decision making about end-of-life care decisions. Interviews took place between 2018 and 2021. Nursing home staff and proxies had differing perspectives of the involvement of multiple family members in decision making, with NH staff primarily viewing families as a source of conflict, whereas proxies viewed families as a source of support. Nursing home staff also had differing opinions of their role with families; some attempted to ameliorate conflict, and some did not get involved. Some NH staff felt that Black families had more conflict than White families, indicating unacceptable bias and stereotyping of Black families by NH staff. These findings suggest training and education is needed for NH staff to facilitate better communication with families and to support proxies in end-of-life decision making to address goals of care for NH residents with Alzheimer disease and related dementias.

'A perfect storm' or missed care? Focus group interviews with dementia care professionals on Advance Care Planning

BACKGROUND

Dementia is one of the leading causes of dependency and disability among older people and currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases. In recent years, healthcare research in Advance Care Planning in dementia care has received increased attention. Advance Care Planning is a discussion process conducted in anticipation of future deterioration of a person's health condition. The purpose of the study was to investigate the views of dementia nurses and geriatricians on Advance Care Planning in dementia care.

METHODS

The study design is a qualitative study using semi-structured focus group interviews with dementia care professionals in a region in Western Finland. A total of seventeen dementia care professionals participated. A modified version of the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven was used for the data analysis.

RESULTS

The data analysis identified one main theme and three sub-themes describing the views of dementia nurses and geriatricians on Advance Care Planning in dementia care. The main theme was the 'perfect storm' with sub-themes relating to the person with dementia, the care process, and the care professional. The unfavorable circumstances creating a 'perfect storm' are related to the nature of the illness and the associated stigma, to the unclarity in the suggested care path with inadequate guidelines for Advance Care Planning, and to the demands placed on dementia nurses and geriatricians, as well as to insufficient resources.

CONCLUSIONS

Dementia nurses and geriatricians acknowledge the importance of advance directives and express a generally positive view of Advance Care Planning in dementia care. They also hold views on a number of factors which affect the conditions for conducting Advance Care Planning. The lack of Advance Care Planning in dementia care can be seen as a form of missed care caused by multiple forces coming together simultaneously.

US clinicians' perspectives on advance care planning for persons with dementia: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Although advance care planning (ACP) for persons with dementia (PWD) can promote patient-centered care by aligning future healthcare with patient values, few PWD have documented ACPs for reasons incompletely understood. The objective of this paper is to characterize the perceived value of, barriers to, and successful strategies for completing ACP for PWD as reported by frontline clinicians.

METHODS

Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews (August 2018-December 2019) with clinicians (physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers) at 11 US health systems. Interviews asked clinicians about their approaches to ACP with PWDs, including how ACP was initiated, what was discussed, how carepartners were involved, how decision-making was approached, and how decision-making capacity was assessed.

RESULTS

Of 75 participating generalist and specialty clinicians from across the United States, 61% reported conducting ACP with PWD, of whom 19% conducted ACP as early as possible with PWD. Three themes emerged: value of early ACP preserves PWD's autonomy in cases of differing PWD carepartner values, acute medical crises, and clinician paternalism; barriers to ACP with PWD including the dynamic and subjective assessment of patient decision-making capacity, inconsistent awareness of cognitive impairment by clinicians, and the need to balance patient and family carepartner involvement; and strategies to support ACP include clarifying clinicians' roles in ACP, standardizing clinicians' approach to PWD and their carepartners, and making time for ACP and decision-making assessments that allow PWD and carepartner involvement regardless of the patients' capacity.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians found early ACP for PWD valuable in promoting patient-centered care among an at-risk population. In sharing their perspectives on conducting ACP for PWD, clinicians described challenges that are amenable to changes in training, workflow, and material support for clinician time. Clinical practices need sustainable scheduling and financial support models.

Association between advance care planning and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling people with dementia: An observational cross-sectional study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan

Objectives

Advance care planning (ACP) is an increasing priority for people with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study evaluated the association between ACP initiation and depressive symptoms among home-dwelling people living with dementia.

Methods

An internet-based questionnaire survey was conducted with Japanese family caregivers of home-dwelling persons with dementia in June 2021. Family caregivers evaluated the level of depressive symptoms in persons with dementia using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Caregivers also rated the quality of life of persons with dementia using the EQ-5D-5L.

Results

A total of 379 family caregivers participated in the survey. Depressive symptoms were reported in 143 persons with dementia (37.7%). A total of 155 persons with dementia (40.9%) had initiated ACP, of which 88 (56.8%) had care professionals involved in ACP conversation. After adjusting for the characteristics of persons with dementia and caregivers, persons with professional involvement showed significantly more severe depressive symptoms compared to those who did not initiate ACP. There was no significant difference in the quality of life of persons with dementia according to ACP initiation.

Conclusions

Many home-dwelling persons with dementia experienced depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in cases where care professionals were involved in ACP conversations. Optimal and proactive ACP approaches need to be developed to prevent depressive symptoms in newly diagnosed persons.

"People are more afraid of a dementia diagnosis than of death": The challenges of supporting advance care planning for persons with dementia in community settings

Improving early uptake of advance care planning (ACP) for persons with dementia and their families requires that staff in community-based settings feel armed and equipped to encourage and support this process. Yet few studies have explored whether staff within non-medical environments feel prepared to support early ACP engagement for persons with early-stage dementia and their families. Our qualitative interpretivist study aimed to fill this gap by facilitating, transcribing and thematically analyzing deliberations from three focus groups with 17 community-based staff. Our findings revealed four key barriers to ACP activation in community settings: (1) the stigma associated with the condition; (2) lack of knowledge about end-of-life concerns for persons with dementia; (3) uncertainties about managing complex family dynamics and (4) worries that opening up conversations about future care may lead to the expression of wishes that could not be actualized (e.g., dying at home). Our findings further revealed that ACP engagement was facilitated when staff expressed confidence in their capacities to gauge readiness, viewed themselves as guides rather than experts and had access to resources to supplement their knowledge. Reflexive training opportunities and access to materials and resources around end-of-life care for persons with dementia, could equip staff in these non-medical settings with the skills to engage in ongoing dialogue about future care issues with persons living with dementia and their families.

Family caregivers' concerns about advance care planning for home-dwelling people with dementia: a cross-sectional observational study in Japan

Background

The importance of advance care planning for people with dementia has increased during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic. However, family caregivers may have concerns about having conversations regarding advance care planning with their loved ones, which may hinder the initiation of such planning. This study investigated family caregivers’ concerns regarding conducting advance care planning for home-dwelling individuals with dementia.

Methods

A prospective cross-sectional study compared the level of family-caregiver concern between those who had initiated advance care planning and those who did not. In June 2021, an internet-based questionnaire survey was administered to Japan-based family caregivers of persons with dementia. Registered members of a Japan-based survey company were recruited; inclusion criteria were being aged 40 years or older and having been a primary, non-professional caregiver of a family member with dementia. Respondents rated their level of agreement with six statements regarding advance-care-planning-related concerns. Respondents also reported their psychological well-being using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index.

Results

Overall, 379 family caregivers participated in this survey. Of these, 155 (40.9%) reported that their loved ones had initiated advance care planning, of whom 88 (56.8%) stated that care professionals were involved in the advance-care-planning conversations. The level of family-caregiver concern was significantly lower when the loved one initiated the conversation concerning advance care planning. After adjusting for the characteristics of persons with dementia and their caregivers, family caregivers with lower psychological well-being showed significantly higher levels of concern.

Conclusions

Family caregivers reported concerns regarding conducting advance care planning. There is a need for educational and clinical strategies that encourage professionals to address the psychological needs of family caregivers.

Cross-cultural conceptualization of a good end of life with dementia: a qualitative study

Background

Research on the nature of a “good death” has mostly focused on dying with cancer and other life-limiting diseases, but less so on dementia. Conceptualizing common cross-cultural themes regarding a good end of life in dementia will enable developing international care models.

Methods

We combined published qualitative studies about end of life with dementia, focus group and individual interviews with the researchers, and video-conferencing and continuous email discussions. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed thematically, and the researchers developed common themes referring to their original studies.

Results

Fourteen qualitative researchers representing 14 cross-cultural studies covering qualitative data of 121 people with dementia and 292 family caregivers. The researchers and data were from eight countries UK, The Netherlands, Japan, Portugal, Germany, Canada, Brazil, and Ireland. Three focus groups, five individual interviews, and video-conferencing were conducted and feedback on multiple iterations was gained by 190 emails between May 2019 and April 2020 until consensus was achieved. Nine cross-culturally common themes emerged from the discussions and shared interpretation of the data of persons with dementia and family caregivers. Three represent basic needs: “Pain and Symptoms Controlled,” “Being Provided Basic Care,” and “A Place like Home.” Other themes were “Having Preferences Met,” “Receiving Respect as a Person,” “Care for Caregivers,” “Identity Being Preserved,” “Being Connected,” and “Satisfaction with Life and Spiritual Well-being.” “Care for Caregivers” showed the greatest difference in emphasis across cultures. Good relationships were essential in all themes.

Conclusions

The common cross-cultural themes comprise a framework underpinned by value placed on personhood and dignity, emphasizing that interdependency through relationships is essential to promote a good end of life with dementia. These themes and valuing the importance of relationships as central to connecting the themes could support care planning and further development of a dementia palliative care model.

Trial registration

The Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine Kyoto University (R1924–1).

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12904-022-00982-9.

"It Encourages Family Discussion": A Mixed-Methods Examination of the This Is Us Alzheimer's Disease & Caregiving Storyline

The average United States (U.S.) adult spends approximately one hour interacting directly with a healthcare professional but 2,000 hours watching primetime television annually. Thus, television storylines may be a powerful vehicle for promoting awareness about Alzheimer's disease and caregiving, which affect an estimated 9 million U.S. adults. We used a mixed-methods approach consisting of an online survey of U.S. adult This Is Us viewers (n = 720) and 4 focus groups (n = 12) with a subset of survey respondents to systematically assess viewer perceptions of an Alzheimer's disease and caregiving storyline from the This Is Us television show and the storyline's influence on viewer behavioral intent toward planning for aging. Triangulation of survey and focus group results suggests the storyline may motivate viewers to discuss plans for aging with their family because of a reduction in stigma and seeing on-screen family tensions related to senior care. Results suggest investments in collaborative partnerships between public health and the entertainment industry may be a valuable way to positively impact those affected by Alzheimer's disease and caregiving. Clips from this storyline could also be used as part of health communication campaigns to encourage advanced care planning discussions.

Mapping cortical disease-burden at individual-level in frontotemporal dementia: implications for clinical care and pharmacological trials

Imaging studies of FTD typically present group-level statistics between large cohorts of genetically, molecularly or clinically stratified patients. Group-level statistics are indispensable to appraise unifying radiological traits and describe genotype-associated signatures in academic studies. However, in a clinical setting, the primary objective is the meaningful interpretation of imaging data from individual patients to assist diagnostic classification, inform prognosis, and enable the assessment of progressive changes compared to baseline scans. In an attempt to address the pragmatic demands of clinical imaging, a prospective computational neuroimaging study was undertaken in a cohort of patients across the spectrum of FTD phenotypes. Cortical changes were evaluated in a dual pipeline, using standard cortical thickness analyses and an individualised, z-score based approach to characterise subject-level disease burden. Phenotype-specific patterns of cortical atrophy were readily detected with both methodological approaches. Consistent with their clinical profiles, patients with bvFTD exhibited orbitofrontal, cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal atrophy. Patients with ALS-FTD displayed precentral gyrus involvement, nfvPPA patients showed widespread cortical degeneration including insular and opercular regions and patients with svPPA exhibited relatively focal anterior temporal lobe atrophy. Cortical atrophy patterns were reliably detected in single individuals, and these maps were consistent with the clinical categorisation. Our preliminary data indicate that standard T1-weighted structural data from single patients may be utilised to generate maps of cortical atrophy. While the computational interpretation of single scans is challenging, it offers unrivalled insights compared to visual inspection. The quantitative evaluation of individual MRI data may aid diagnostic classification, clinical decision making, and assessing longitudinal changes.

A scoping review of the evidence for community-based dementia palliative care services and their related service activities

Background

Palliative care is identified internationally as a priority for efficacious dementia care. Research into “effective models” of palliative care for people with dementia has been recommended by several European countries. To build an effective service-delivery model we must gain an understanding of existing models used in similar settings. The study aim is to identify core components of extant models of palliative care for people with dementia, and their families, who are living at home in the community.

Methods

A scoping review was employed. The search strategy was devised to identify all peer-reviewed research papers relating to the above aim. This process was iterative, and the search strategy was refined as evidence emerged and was reviewed. All types of study designs and both quantitative and qualitative studies of non-pharmacological interventions were considered for inclusion.

Results

The search identified 2,754 unique citations, of which 18 papers were deemed eligible for inclusion. Although a palliative care approach is recommended from early in the disease process, most evidence involves end-of-life care or advanced dementia and pertains to residential care. The majority of the research reviewed focused on the effects of advance care planning, and end-of-life care; specialist palliative care input, and/or generalist palliative care provided by dementia services to enable people to remain at home and to reduce costs of care. Community staff training in palliative care appeared to improve engagement with Specialist Palliative Care teams. Integration of dementia and palliative care services was found to improve care received for people with dementia and their carers.

Conclusions

While the evidence for integration of dementia and palliative care services is promising, further high-quality research is necessary particularly to identify the key components of palliative care for people living with dementia. This is imperative to enable people with dementia to inform their own care, to stay living at home for as long as possible, and, where appropriate, to die at home.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12904-022-00922-7.

Implementation of the Mental Capacity Act: a national observational study comparing resultant trends in place of death for older heart failure decedents with or without comorbid dementia

BACKGROUND

Heart failure (HF) is increasingly prevalent in the growing elderly population and commonly associated with cognitive impairment. We compared trends in place of death (PoD) of HF patients with/without comorbid dementia around the implementation period of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) in October 2007, this legislation supporting patient-centred decision making for those with reduced agency.

METHODS

Analyses of death certification data for England between January 2001 and December 2018, describing the PoD and sociodemographic characteristics of all people ≥ 65 years registered with HF as the underlying cause of death, with/without a mention of comorbid dementia. We used modified Poisson regression with robust error variance to determine the prevalence ratio (PR) of the outcome in dying at home, in care homes or hospices compared to dying in hospital. Covariates included year of death, age, gender, marital status, comorbidity burden, index of multiple deprivation and urban/rural settings.

RESULTS

One hundred twenty thousand sixty-eight HF-related death records were included of which 8199 mentioned dementia as a contributory cause. The overall prevalence proportion of dementia was 6.8%, the trend significantly increasing from 5.6 to 8.0% pre- and post-MCA (Cochran-Armitage trend test p < 0.0001). Dementia was coded as unspecified (78.2%), Alzheimer's disease (13.5%) and vascular (8.3%). Demented decedents were commonly older, female, and with more comorbidities. Pre-MCA, PoD for non-demented HF patients was hospital 68.2%, care homes 20.2% and 10.7% dying at home. Corresponding figures for those with comorbid dementia were 47.6%, 48.0% and 4.2%, respectively. Following MCA enforcement, PoD for those without dementia shifted from hospital to home, 62.5% and 17.2%, respectively; PR: 1.026 [95%CI: 1.024-1.029]. While home deaths also rose to 10.0% for those with dementia, with hospital deaths increasing to 50.4%, this trend was insignificant, PR: 1.001 [0.988-1.015]. Care home deaths reduced for all, with/without dementia, PR: 0.959 [0.949-0.969] and PR: 0.996 [0.993-0.998], respectively. Hospice as PoD was rare for both groups with no appreciable change over the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analyses suggest the MCA did not materially affect the PoD of HF decedents with comorbid dementia, likely reflecting difficulties implementing this legislation in real-life clinical practice.

Primary Palliative Care in Dementia

Primary palliative care is a fundamental aspect of high-quality care for patients with a serious illness such as dementia. The clinician caring for a patient and family suffering with dementia can provide primary palliative care in numerous ways. Perhaps the most important aspects are high quality communication while sharing a diagnosis, counseling the patient through progression of illness and prognostication, and referral to hospice when appropriate. COVID-19 presents additional risks of intensive care requirement and mortality which we must help patients and families navigate. Throughout all of these discussions, the astute clinician must monitor the patient's decision making capacity and balance respect for autonomy with protection against uninformed consent. Excellent primary palliative care also involves discussion of deprescribing medications of uncertain benefit such as long term use of cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine and being vigilant in the monitoring of pain with its relationship to behavioral disturbance in patients with dementia. Clinicians should follow a standardized approach to pain management in this vulnerable population. Caregiver burden is high for patients with dementia and comprehensive care should also address this burden and implement reduction strategies. When these aspects of care are particularly complex or initial managements strategies fall short, palliative care specialists can be an important additional resource not only for the patient and family, but for the care team struggling to guide the way through a disease with innumerable challenges.

Analysis of Transition of Patients with Parkinson's Disease into Institutional Care: A Retrospective Pilot Study

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease which gives a person a high risk of becoming care-dependent. During disease progression, the amount of care concerning activities of daily living can increase, possibly resulting in transition of the people with Parkinson's disease (PwP) to a care facility. However, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the factors leading to institutionalization of PwP and the consequences for them and their informal caregivers. The aim of this cross-sectional retrospective study was to investigate reasons leading to the transition into an institutional care facility, the process of decision-making and its effects on PwP symptoms and caregiver burden. Participating PwP had to be institutionalized for at most one year after transition at study inclusion. Participants completed a range of semiquantitative questionnaires as well as the caregiving tasks questionnaire. Fourteen patient-caregiver pairs were included. PwP suffered from late-stage PD symptoms with high dependence on help, experiencing several hospitalizations before transition. Analyses revealed a significant decrease in caregiver burden and depressive symptoms of the caregivers after PwP institutionalization. Factors influencing the transition were, e.g., fear of PwP health issues and concerns about caregivers' health. This study presents new insights into the process of institutionalization and its influence on caregiver burden, including aspects for discussions of physicians with PwP and their caregivers for counselling the decision to move to institutional care.

Accessing community dementia care services in Ireland: Emotional barriers for caregivers

Despite the benefits of utilising community-based care services (CBS) for people with dementia and their caregiver being well established, people with dementia and caregivers use fewer services in comparison to other people in need of care. While societal, cultural and logistical factors effecting caregiver use of CBS are frequently studied, research of internal emotional barriers, mental limitations created by one's own self that prevents open communication of thoughts and feelings, and their effect on CBS use is limited. This paper explores internal emotional barriers on caregivers' use of CBS within the Irish Healthcare System. Professional Healthcare Providers were also interviewed as a preliminary indicator of their awareness of these internal emotional barriers and their impact on caregivers' use of CBS. Using interpretive description methodology, interviews with 20 caregivers and fourteen dementia professional healthcare providers were transcribed and a thematic analysis methodology applied to illuminate themes/patterns within participants' subjective perceptions of caregivers emotional barriers to using CBS. Four themes emerge: reluctance to question general practitioner (GP) authority; embarrassment during level of care requirement reviews; sense of obligation to provide all care; and fear of stigma. Caregivers interviewed were reluctant to communicate concerns with professional healthcare providers (PHPs), thereby reducing the PHP's awareness of these barriers and delaying/preventing use of CBS. As key gatekeepers within the care pathway, GPs should address the uneven power dynamic with the caregiver through user-centred models of care, which actively encourage open dialogue, and receive training to identify the indicative behaviours of internal emotional barriers and empower the caregiver to communicate their feelings/concerns directly.

Physicians' decreased tendency to choose palliative care for patients with advanced dementia between 1999 and 2015

Background

Physicians’ decision-making for seriously ill patients with advanced dementia is of high importance, especially as the prevalence of dementia is rising rapidly, and includes many challenging ethical, medical and juridical aspects. We assessed the change in this decision-making over 16 years (from 1999 to 2015) and several background factors influencing physicians’ decision.

Methods

A postal survey including a hypothetical patient-scenario representing a patient with an advanced dementia and a life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding was sent to 1182 and 1258 Finnish physicians in 1999 and 2015, respectively. The target groups were general practitioners (GPs), surgeons, internists and oncologists. The respondents were asked to choose between several life-prolonging and palliative care approaches. The influence of physicians’ background factors and attitudes on their decision were assessed.

Results

The response rate was 56%. A palliative care approach was chosen by 57 and 50% of the physicians in 1999 and 2015, respectively (p = 0.01). This change was statistically significant among GPs (50 vs 40%, p = 0.018) and oncologists (77 vs 56%, p = 0.011). GPs chose a palliative care approach less often than other responders in both years (50 vs. 63% in 1999 and 40 vs. 56% in 2015, p < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, responding in 2015 and being a GP remained explanatory factors for a lower tendency to choose palliative care. The impact of family’s benefit on the decision-making decreased, whereas the influence of the patient’s benefit and ethical values as well as the patient’s or physician’s legal protection increased from 1999 to 2015.

Conclusions

Physicians chose a palliative care approach for a patient with advanced dementia and life-threatening bleeding less often in 2015 than in 1999. Specialty, attitudes and other background factors influenced significantly physician decision-making. Education on the identification and palliative care of the patients with late-stage dementia are needed to make these decisions more consistent.

Exploring Differential Perceptions and Barriers to Advance Care Planning in Dementia among Asian Patient-Caregiver Dyads-A Mixed-Methods Study

A parallel mixed-methods study on 20 patient–caregiver dyads in an Asian population was conducted to explore the differential perceptions and barriers to ACP in dementia. We recruited English-speaking patients with mild dementia and their caregivers. A trained ACP facilitator conducted ACP counseling. Patient–caregiver dyads completed pre–post surveys and participated in post-counseling qualitative interviews. We used mixed-methods analysis to corroborate the quantitative and qualitative data. Differential perceptions of ACP were reported among dyads, with caregivers less inclined for further ACP discussions. Post-ACP counseling, caregivers were significantly more likely to acknowledge barriers to ACP discussions than patients (57.9% versus 10.5%, p = 0.005). Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed four themes around barriers to ACP: patient-related factors (transference of decision making, poor cognition and lack of understanding, and dis-inclination to plan for the future), caregiver-related factors (perceived negative impact on the patient, caregiver discomfort, and confidence in congruent decision making), socio-cultural factors (taboos, superstitions, and religious beliefs), and the inappropriate timing of discussions. In a collectivist Asian culture, socio-cultural factors pose important barriers, and a family-centric approach to initiation of ACP may be the first step towards engagement in the ACP process. For ACP in dementia to be effective for patients and caregivers, these discussions should be culturally tailored and address patient, caregiver, socio-cultural, and timing barriers.

Nutrition and hydration for people living with dementia near the end of life: A qualitative systematic review

AIMS

To synthesize the qualitative evidence of the views and experiences of people living with dementia, family carers, and practitioners on practice related to nutrition and hydration of people living with dementia who are nearing end of life.

DESIGN

Systematic review and narrative synthesis of qualitative studies.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL.

REVIEW METHODS

Databases were searched for qualitative studies from January 2000-February 2020. Quantitative studies, or studies reporting on biological mechanisms, assessments, scales or diagnostic tools were excluded. Results were synthesized using a narrative synthesis approach with thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty studies were included; 15 explored the views of practitioners working with people living with dementia in long-term care settings or in hospitals. Four themes were developed: challenges of supporting nutrition and hydration; balancing the views of all parties involved with 'the right thing to do'; national context and sociocultural influences; and strategies to support nutrition and hydration near the end of life in dementia.

CONCLUSION

The complexity of supporting nutrition and hydration near the end of life for someone living with dementia relates to national context, lack of knowledge, and limited planning while the person can communicate.

IMPACT

This review summarizes practitioners and families' experiences and highlights the need to include people living with dementia in studies to help understand their views and preferences about nutrition and hydration near the end of life; and those of their families supporting them in the community. The review findings are relevant to multidisciplinary teams who can learn from strategies to help with nutrition and hydration decisions and support.

The perspectives of people with dementia on their future, end of life and on being cared for by others: A qualitative study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore the perspectives of people with dementia on being cared for by others, on the future and on the end of life, and to evaluate the capability and willingness of participants to have these conversations.

BACKGROUND

Awareness about perspectives of people with dementia should decrease stigmatisation and improve their quality of life. Applying palliative care principles from an early stage is important to address diverse needs and to anticipate the future. Few studies investigate perspectives of people with dementia regarding palliative care, including advance care planning.

DESIGN

Qualitative descriptive design.

METHODS

We performed in-depth interviews with 18 community-dwelling persons with dementia in South-Limburg, the Netherlands. Transcripts were analysed using an inductive content analysis. Two authors coded the data and regularly compared coding. All authors discussed abstraction into categories and themes. We followed the COREQ reporting guidelines.

RESULTS

Five overarching themes derived from the interviews were as follows: (a) My life still has value and meaning, (b) I am my own unique individual, (c) I place my trust in other people, (d) The future worries me, and (e) I accept and embrace what life brings.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants' thoughts about the future and the end of life involved feelings of ambiguity and anxiety, but also of contentment and resignation. Despite worrying thoughts of decline, participants primarily demonstrated resilience and acceptance. They expressed appreciation and trust towards those who care for them. They wished to be recognised as unique and worthy humans, until the end of life.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This study demonstrates capability and willingness of people with dementia to discuss the future and end-of-life topics. Public and professional awareness may facilitate opportunities for informal end-of-life discussions. Healthcare professionals should promote belongingness of persons with dementia and strive to build equal, trustful care relationships with them and their families.

Shared decision-making in advance care planning for persons with dementia in nursing homes: a cross-sectional study

Background

Shared decision-making provides an approach to discuss advance care planning in a participative and informed manner, embodying the principles of person-centered care. A number of guided approaches to achieve shared decision-making already exist, such as the three-talk model. However, it is uncertain whether daily practice methods in nursing home wards for persons with dementia comply with the underpinnings of this model. It is also uncertain whether professionals consider shared decision-making to be important in this context, and whether they perceive themselves sufficiently competent to practice this approach frequently.

Methods

The study has a cross-sectional design, with 65 wards (46 Belgian nursing homes) participating in the study. We compared nursing home professionals’ and residents’ perspectives on the level of shared decision-making during advance care planning conversations with ratings from external raters. Residents and professionals rated the level of shared decision-making by means of a questionnaire, which included the topic of the conversation. External raters assessed audio recordings of the conversations. Professionals filled in an additional self-report questionnaire on the importance of shared decision-making, their competence in practicing the approach, and with what frequency.

Results

At ward level, professionals and residents rated the average achieved level of shared decision-making 71.53/100 (σ = 16.09) and 81.11/100 (σ = 19.18) respectively. Meanwhile, raters gave average scores of 26.97/100 (σ = 10.45). Only 23.8% of residents referred to advance care planning as the topic of the conversation. Professionals considered shared decision-making to be important (x̄=4.48/5, σ = 0.26). This result contrasted significantly with the frequency (x̄=3.48/5, σ = 0.51) and competence (x̄=3.76/5, σ = 0.27) with which these skills were practiced (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Residents with dementia are grateful when involved in discussing their care, but find it difficult to report what is discussed during these conversations. Receiving more information about advance care planning could provide them with the knowledge needed to prepare for such a conversation. External raters observe a discrepancy between the three-talk model and daily practice methods. Training programs should focus on providing professionals with better knowledge of and skills for shared decision-making. They should also promote team-based collaboration to increase the level of person-centered care in nursing home wards for persons with dementia.

Palliative Care in Advanced Dementia

Dementia syndrome is common and expected to increase significantly among older people and characterized by the loss of cognitive, psychological and physical functions. Palliative care is applicable for people with dementia, however they are less likely to have access to palliative care. This narrative review summarizes specifics of palliative care in advanced dementia. Most people with advanced dementia live and die in institutional care and they suffer a range of burdensome symptoms and complications. Shortly before dying people with advanced dementia suffer symptoms as pain, eating problems, breathlessness, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and complications as respiratory or urinary infections and frequently experience burdensome transitions. Pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions may reduce symptom burden. Sensitive observation and appropriate assessment tools enable health professionals to assess symptoms and needs and to evaluate interventions. Due to lack of decisional capacity, proxy decision making is often necessary. Advanced care planning is an opportunity establishing values and preferences and is associated with comfort and decrease of burdensome interventions. Family carers are important for people with advanced dementia they also experience distress and are in need for support. Recommendations refer to early integration of palliative care, recognizing signs of approaching death, symptom assessment and management, advanced care planning, person-centered care, continuity of care, and collaboration of health care providers.

A training needs analysis of admiral nurses to facilitate advance care planning in dementia

Education of health and social care professionals is essential in preparation to confidently and effectively support families affected by dementia to undertake advance care planning. This article describes a training needs analysis of Admiral Nurses, dementia specialists, in facilitating advance care planning for future care.

METHODS

A questionnaire survey was completed by Admiral Nurses attending end-of-life care masterclasses in 2017 and 2018. Both quantitative (years registered as a nurse, years as an Admiral Nurse and subjective level of confidence in completing advance care plannings) and qualitative data (interventions perceived to increase confidence) were collected.

FINDINGS

There were 75 completed responses (two incomplete returns). There was no correlation between levels of confidence and years registered as a nurse. However, there was a small positive correlation between confidence and number of years as an Admiral Nurse (r = 0.23; p < 0.05). Themes identified qualitatively to enhance practice were advanced communication skills, supervised practice, resources to frame conversations and a guide and template for advance care planning.

CONCLUSION

Although Admiral Nurses are specialists in dementia, several educational initiatives could be employed to better enable them to support advance care planning for families affected by dementia. This training needs analysis is contributed towards developing an educational intervention for Admiral Nurses to improve advance care planning support.