School of Health, Medical, and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University Australia, Bundaberg, QLD, Australia.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service, Queensland Health, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Health Promot J Austr. 2023 Feb;34(1):193-201. doi: 10.1002/hpja.652. Epub 2022 Aug 28.
Day-respite care opportunities for people with dementia help prevent informal carer burnout and enable ageing in place. Care workers in these settings are an under-researched workforce who play a pivotal role in providing an engaging and supportive environment for clients with dementia. This study aimed to understand their experiences of providing care for people with dementia.
An interpretive phenomenological analysis explored the factors that challenge and enable day-respite centre workers of the sole facility in one regional Australian town to provide, what they perceive to be high-quality, person-centred care for people with dementia. Thematic analysis revealed four themes relating to the experience of providing care to people with dementia in this day-respite centre.
Care challenges associated with the symptoms of dementia were recognised by participants; however, these issues were mitigated by the powerful enabling factors, including a strong focus on dementia-friendly care, operating within the centre. Thematic analysis yielded four themes of a person-centred workplace culture and strategy, embedded communication practices, provision of a safe and engaging environment and positive staff attributes. These themes were perceived to make participants' jobs more enjoyable, as well as improve their clients' and carers' quality of life.
Day-respite centres offer a valuable resource for people with dementia and their carers, and their success depends on several key environmental and workforce factors. Accordingly, other facilities targeted at caring for this population should assess the feasibility of adopting similar strategies, including selecting and training specialised care staff, adapting the care environment to suit clients' physical and behavioural needs. and establishing routine multi-channel communication methods that effectively connect staff with other care providers, their clients, and their clients' carers. SO WHAT?: The lessons learned in this research could be implemented throughout the wider web of dementia care. Strategies might include the careful selection and training of staff; the provision of dedicated, safe dementia-friendly wards; and routine communication key stakeholders to ensure met-needs care. While there would be a need to scale such care to suit different individual care providers, even seemingly simple strategies would likely have positive effects in optimising care for people diagnosed with this debilitating neurocognitive disease.
为痴呆症患者提供日间暂托护理机会有助于防止非正式护理人员精疲力竭，并实现就地养老。在这些环境中工作的护理人员是一个研究不足的劳动力群体，他们在为痴呆症患者提供一个参与和支持性的环境方面发挥着关键作用。本研究旨在了解他们为痴呆症患者提供护理的经验。
解释性现象学分析探讨了挑战和使澳大利亚一个地区城镇唯一设施的日间暂托中心工作人员为他们认为对痴呆症患者提供高质量、以患者为中心的护理的因素。主题分析揭示了与在该日间暂托中心为痴呆症患者提供护理相关的四个主题。
参与者认识到与痴呆症症状相关的护理挑战；然而，这些问题通过强有力的使能因素得到缓解，包括在中心内强烈关注痴呆症友好护理。主题分析产生了一个以患者为中心的工作场所文化和策略、嵌入式沟通实践、提供安全和引人入胜的环境以及积极的员工特质的四个主题。这些主题被认为使参与者的工作更愉快，并提高了他们的客户和照顾者的生活质量。
日间暂托中心为痴呆症患者及其照顾者提供了宝贵的资源，其成功取决于几个关键的环境和劳动力因素。因此，针对照顾这一人群的其他设施应评估采用类似策略的可行性，包括选择和培训专门的护理人员、根据客户的身体和行为需求调整护理环境、以及建立常规的多渠道沟通方法，以便有效地将员工与其他护理提供者、他们的客户及其客户的照顾者联系起来。那么，从中可以学到什么？：本研究中的经验教训可以在更广泛的痴呆症护理网络中实施。策略可能包括精心挑选和培训员工；提供专门的、安全的痴呆症友好病房；以及定期与关键利益相关者沟通，以确保满足需求的护理。虽然需要根据不同的个体护理提供者来调整这种护理，但即使是看似简单的策略也可能对优化诊断为这种使人衰弱的神经认知疾病的患者的护理产生积极影响。
