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An evaluation of two models of long‐term residential care for elderly people with dementia
Author(s) -
Skea Derek,
Lindesay James
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199603)11:3<233::aid-gps313>3.0.co;2-0
Subject(s) - unit (ring theory) , dementia , medicine , depression (economics) , cohort , gerontology , prospective cohort study , psychology , nursing , emergency medicine , disease , surgery , mathematics education , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
This article reports the findings of a prospective study of two residential units for elderly people with dementia: a community hospital ward (unit 1) providing an enhanced version of traditional hospital care and a scheme developed in partnership with a charity (unit 2) operating an explicit policy emphasizing resident choice, opportunity, support and independence. Residents, staff and unit policy were assessed at baseline in long‐stay mental hospital wards, and at 6 months and 12 months after relocation. The Quality of Interactions Schedule (QUIS) was carried out on one occasion on a comparison long‐stay mental hospital ward, at 12 and 24 months in unit 1 and at 6 and 12 months in unit 2. At 12 months, there was an increase in the quality but not the number of staff– resident interactions observed in unit 1, compared to the long‐stay ward: both number and quality had improved on this unit at 24 months. Much larger increases in number and quality of interactions were observed in unit 2 at both 6 and 12 months. These changes were associated in unit 2 but not unit 1 with a decrease in observed depression, no decline in self‐care (ADL) and improvement in communication skills over the follow‐up period. There was a significant excess mortality in the unit 2 cohort at 6 months, but there was no difference at 12 months. At 12 months, staff on both units reported good levels of job satisfaction and morale.