Keeping up health promotion practices in specialized day care units for people with dementia

Health promotion for older people with dementia living in the community

Dementia has physical, psychological, social and economic effects, not only on people with dementia but also on their families, carers and society as a whole. Health promotion interventions for older people with dementia living in the community can support their health and well-being, particularly early in the course of the condition. Nurses have an important role in working collaboratively with patients, family carers and the multidisciplinary team to develop health promotion activities that are tailored to the person and take into account the progressive nature of the condition. This article gives an overview of health promotion as an aspect of post-diagnosis dementia care and considers how nurses can work with older people with dementia living in the community to promote their health.

Being sheltered from a demanding everyday life: experiences of the next of kin to people with dementia attending farm-based daycare

PURPOSE

Farm-based daycare (FDC) is a type of daycare service for people with dementia. The aim of the present study was to explore the next of kin's experiences with FDC and how the service may affect their daily life.

METHODS

The study has a qualitative, descriptive design. Eight semi-structured interviews with next of kin were conducted. The data were analysed in accordance with content analysis.

RESULTS

We identified three main categories: (1) I am fine when you are fine, (2) Significant aspects of the service at the farm, and (3) FDC as a part of the dementia trajectory. The findings were summarized in one overarching, latent theme: "Being sheltered from a demanding everyday life".

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that next of kin's experience of respite is closely connected to the well-being of their relatives at the FDC and the quality of the service. FDC provides significant support through a part of the trajectory of dementia. Despite experiencing respite and support, next of kin continue to struggle with ethical and moral decisions about the futures of their relatives with dementia.

Facilitation of activities for people with dementia in day care: a qualitative study exploring the experiences of staff

Background: Day care service (day care) is recommended as an activity service for home-dwelling people with dementia in Norway. However, there is limited knowledge about strategies to promote engagement and participation in activities at day care. The aim of this study was to gain understanding of the staff’s experiences on how to enhance engagement and participation in activities for attendees.

Methods: The study has a qualitative design, using group interviews with staff and field observations at day care designed for people with dementia. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze interviews, and the findings from the observations were used to illuminate the findings in the interviews. Three group interviews including a total of 10 staff participants were conducted. Additionally, 35 attendees were observed during 2 days of field observations at each day care.

Results: The main theme that emerged from the analysis was the staff’s primary objective to make meaningful days for the attendees. To achieve this, the importance of having individual knowledge about the attendees to enhance relationships, creating a balanced group composition, personal competence and skills of the staff, and the importance of using activities in different ways, was highlighted. Most findings from the field observations coincide with those in the interviews. However, the observations revealed that the staff seemed to have insufficient knowledge of offering individual tailored and structured meaningful activities to the attendees. There is a potential of including the attendees even more in the ongoing activities.

Conclusion: Staff play an important role in promoting and facilitating activities to increase engagement and participation in activities. There is a potential for greater structured use of activities and cognitive stimulation. To avoid occupational injustice and the risk of decreased health and well-being among home-dwelling people with dementia, more differentiated and individual tailored services are needed.

Experiences of attending day care services designed for people with dementia - a qualitative study with individual interviews

OBJECTIVES

Day care is assumed to promote independence in home-dwelling people with dementia, increase well-being and enhance social stimulation. Few studies have directly engaged people with dementia to better understand the benefits and impacts of such services. The aim of this study was to explore attendees' experiences with day care designed for people with dementia.

METHOD

This study had a qualitative descriptive design and included individual interviews with 17 users attending day care. The analysis was undertaken using content analyses.

RESULTS

The participants reported that day care had a positive influence on their physical functioning, cognition, well-being, and situation at home because they were provided with social stimulation, meals, and activities. Day care contributed to the maintenance of a rhythm and structure in everyday life. Furthermore, the staff contributed to making the day care a safe place to be and enhanced a sense of belonging.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals the positive impact of day care on the daily lives of people with dementia because this service contributes to the enhancement of activities and social support, prevents isolation, and enhances practical and cognitive functioning as experienced by the users. The staff has a major impact on the experience of the participants in the day care.

The Family's Experience of Sharing the Care of a Person with Dementia with the Services in Specialized Day-Care Units

BACKGROUND

Services in specialized day-care units for individuals with dementia are set up to enable these persons to live in their own home. The purpose of this paper is to discern the experiences of families with these services while caring for a close relative with dementia.

METHOD

Longitudinal interviews with 8 family members were conducted. In total, 25 interviews were carried out over a period of 5 years.

RESULTS

The experience of these families of looking after a close person with dementia appeared to be influenced by (a) the multifaceted meaning of ties, (b) the perception of purposeful relief of the day-care services and (c) the progress of the disease.

CONCLUSION

All families found the services of specialized day-care units both useful and pleasant. This kind of resource was shown to make everyday life much more manageable for all persons involved, most importantly for the patient with dementia.