Nursing Research Unit, Nursing Service, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.
Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Geriatr Nurs. 2021 Nov-Dec;42(6):1517-1524. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2021.10.015. Epub 2021 Nov 1.
In Asian societies, the responsibility of caring for persons with dementia often falls upon an immediate family member. However, little attention has been paid to the early stages of caregiving, as well as their transition into a more experienced caregiver. Thus, a qualitative descriptive study involving a purposive sample of 11 main family caregivers of a person with newly diagnosed dementia was recruited from a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) Suspicions to seeking confirmation of dementia, (2) Grappling with dementia diagnosis, and (3) Making adjustments for the future. Areas of needs and support identified during the early caregiving journey suggest the need for caregivers to be prepared for the practical and emotional challenges. Unique to the Asian culture, our findings put forth the advocacy of engaging persons with dementia in the discussions of their long-term care and options.
在亚洲社会，照顾痴呆症患者的责任通常落在直系亲属身上。然而，人们很少关注护理的早期阶段，以及他们向更有经验的护理人员的过渡。因此，一项涉及新加坡一家三级医院的 11 名新诊断为痴呆症患者主要家庭成员的目的抽样的定性描述性研究被招募。数据分析中出现了三个主题：（1）对痴呆症的怀疑寻求确认，（2）与痴呆症诊断作斗争，（3）为未来做调整。在早期护理过程中确定的需求和支持领域表明，护理人员需要为实际和情感挑战做好准备。在亚洲文化中，我们的研究结果提出了一个独特的观点，即应该让痴呆症患者参与到他们的长期护理和选择的讨论中。
