Bharmal Sidra, Nelson Michelle, Saragosa Marianne
Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Science of Care Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Int J Integr Care. 2025 May 21;25(2):16. doi: 10.5334/ijic.9056. eCollection 2025 Apr-Jun.
Rising dementia rates can worsen the strain on the healthcare system and increase hospital admissions. Hospitals decondition persons living with dementia (PLWD), for which volunteers can offer support. We reviewed existing literature on volunteer-led/supported care transition services available to PLWD, assessing PLWD representation and the extent to which their needs are addressed.
We conducted a secondary analysis of a scoping review examining volunteer and third-sector personnel providing post-discharge support. Of the review's 49 articles, we considered services offered to PLWD and persons with cognitive impairment (PWCI). The Camberwell Assessment of Needs for the Elderly (CANE) guided the thematic analysis.
Four of our nine selected articles highlighted services supporting PLWD, though only one was developed explicitly for them. The most common themes of needs targeted or met were physical health (n = 7), company (n = 7), food (n = 6), medications (n = 6), and psychological distress (n = 6).
We described the characteristics and outcomes of these volunteer-led/supported care transition interventions. Comparing the leading PLWD needs against those the interventions primarily addressed revealed potential oversight of their most critical needs. However, volunteers remain valuable in supporting discharged community-dwelling PLWD.
In hospital-to-home care transitions, volunteer-led/supported transitional care models benefit PLWD and their caregivers. However, few available interventions explicitly focus on this patient population. Therefore, this is an opportunity to understand better how volunteers and third-sector organizations could optimally support those living during care transitions through an integrated care approach.
痴呆症发病率的上升会加重医疗系统的负担，并增加住院人数。医院会使痴呆症患者（PLWD）身体机能衰退，志愿者可为其提供支持。我们回顾了现有的关于向PLWD提供的由志愿者主导/支持的护理过渡服务的文献，评估了PLWD的代表性以及他们的需求得到满足的程度。
我们对一项范围审查进行了二次分析，该审查考察了提供出院后支持的志愿者和第三部门人员。在该审查的49篇文章中，我们考虑了向PLWD和认知障碍者（PWCI）提供的服务。坎伯韦尔老年人需求评估（CANE）指导了主题分析。
我们所选的9篇文章中有4篇强调了支持PLWD的服务，不过只有一篇是专门为他们开发的。所针对或满足的最常见需求主题是身体健康（n = 7）、陪伴（n = 7）、食物（n = 6）、药物（n = 6）和心理困扰（n = 6）。
我们描述了这些由志愿者主导/支持的护理过渡干预措施的特点和结果。将PLWD的主要需求与这些干预措施主要解决的需求进行比较，发现可能忽视了他们最关键的需求。然而，志愿者在支持出院后居住在社区的PLWD方面仍然很有价值。
在医院到家的护理过渡中，由志愿者主导/支持的过渡护理模式使PLWD及其照顾者受益。然而，现有的干预措施很少明确针对这一患者群体。因此，这是一个机会，可以更好地了解志愿者和第三部门组织如何通过综合护理方法在护理过渡期间为患者提供最佳支持。
