The population of people with dementia increases yearly, imposing a growing burden on family caregivers. Psychological distress impacts the mental health of family caregivers of people with dementia. Caregiver psychological distress can result in increased social resource utilisation and unmet multicare needs.
The study explored the psychological distress of family caregivers of people with dementia and examined the impact on social resource utilisation and multicare needs.
A descriptive-correlational study collected data in Taiwan from a cross-sectional sample of family caregivers of people with dementia using a self-report questionnaire. Data were analysed using linear and logistic regression.
A total of 301 caregivers provided data for analysis. Nearly two-thirds of caregivers were female with a mean age of 57 years old (SD = 12). Over half of the family caregivers of people with dementia experienced mild-to-moderate psychological distress. The greater the psychological distress, the greater the probability of using social resources (1.09 times per 1-point increase, p = 0.002). Psychological distress was positively associated with the number of caregivers' care needs (β = 0.371, p < 0.001).
Findings of this study can assist healthcare professionals in better understanding the psychological distress and care needs of caregivers. Services designed to meet the needs of family caregivers will improve psychological distress.
Poor awareness of dementia care by healthcare professionals affects the quality of care for people living with dementia in acute care settings.
This study examined the effectiveness of a virtual reality-based educational programme for dementia for nurses working in acute care hospitals in Japan.
A dementia education programme for nurses was designed. The programme comprised short movies, virtual reality videos based on the short movies, a lecture, discussions and role-playing based on the experimental learning model. Virtual reality video content was created to promote empathy for people living with dementia through a first-person experience of dementia. The educational programme involved nurses working in an acute care hospital in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Before and after the programme, we employed structured questionnaires using validated instruments to assess participants' attitudes towards people living with dementia, their intentions of helping behaviour and their confidence in providing dementia care.
Seventy-six nurses participated in and completed the pre- and post-tests. The mean age was 34.9 ± 9.2 years, and 90.8% of the participants were female. A paired t-test showed significant before-after improvement in the participants’ attitudes towards people living with dementia (41.9 ± 5.1 vs. 44.5 ± 4.8), intentions of helping behaviour towards people living with dementia (10.8 ± 2.5 vs. 12.8 ± 2.1) and confidence in providing dementia care (25.9 ± 6.7 vs. 29.2 ± 6.0).
The programme effectively improved nurses’ attitudes towards people living with dementia and confidence in providing dementia care in acute care settings. Future research is important to explore the long-term effects of this programme and its effects on actual dementia care.
The dementia education programme may promote person-centred care in acute hospitals. Future studies should consider the provision of more flexible programs so that nurses can more easily participate in them.
Understanding and managing the complex processes of ageing is a critical function of gerontological nursing, especially when it comes to older people’s well-being and their contributions to society. Globally, older persons contribute in many ways to families and communities. However, the relationship between older person’s overall well-being and their propensity to contribute to society remains an important gap in research.
The study examined the association between well-being and the impact of older persons on Ghanaian society.
A secondary analysis of longitudinal survey data of the 2014/15 Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE Wave 2) conducted by the World Health Organization was used. The multilevel logistic regression technique was used to examine four dimensions of well-being and their associations with high social contribution among older persons. The output was reported as odds ratios (OR).
The results show that older persons who had high physical and psychological well-being were more likely to contribute to society (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 0.93, 1.68), (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.32, 2.33). However, those with high levels of emotional and spiritual well-being were less likely to make social contributions (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.49, 0.88), (OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.66, 1.18).
This study shows a positive association between well-being and older persons’ societal impact. Good mental and physical health encourage societal involvement among older persons, while high emotional and spiritual well-being may lead to less societal contribution.
These findings are important for nursing policies promoting social contribution and well-being among older persons 60 years and over in Ghana.
Multiple nutritional screening tools are available for older people; however, few screening tools include specific eating behaviours as risk factors that could lead to poor food intake. The 24-item mealtime observation checklist (MOCL), developed by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2015, comprises signs, symptoms and conditions during mealtime that reflect eating and swallowing functions and oral conditions.
To examine factors associated with malnutrition among the MOCL items in older people.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from a retrospective cohort study conducted at four long-term care facilities in Japan. Among the older people residing in the facilities, 198 who received oral intake support were included in the analyses. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA®-SF), and comparisons were made between ‘malnutrition’ and ‘at-risk or well-nourished’. The association between each MOCL item and malnutrition was assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Of the 198 participants, 98 (49.5%) were classified as ‘malnutrition’, 98 (49.5%) as ‘at-risk’ and 2 (1%) as ‘well-nourished’ by MNA®-SF. After adjusting for participant characteristics such as age and sex, significant associations with malnutrition were observed for four items from the 24-item MOCL: ‘Has fatigue due to extended mealtime (odds ratio [OR] = 3.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36–7.53)’, ‘Food residues in the oral cavity are conspicuous (OR = 2.77, 95% CI: 1.38–5.52)’, ‘Has difficulty swallowing food and takes time to swallow (OR = 3.78, 95% CI: 1.45–9.84)’ and ‘Assisted feeding is required (OR = 3.70, 95% CI: 1.73–7.91)’.
The four signs, symptoms and conditions during mealtime identified in this study may be associated with malnutrition in older people.
These may indicate the potential eating problems that can lead to malnutrition. By incorporating them into early intervention and prevention measures, health care providers may help prevent malnutrition and improve the nutritional status of older people.
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