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The provision of person‐centred dementia care in the context of mental health co‐morbidities: ‘It can be upsetting and distressing and it’s incredibly sad’
Author(s) -
McKenzie Ellen L.,
Brown Patricia M.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/ajag.12860
Subject(s) - dementia , thematic analysis , mental health , coping (psychology) , context (archaeology) , psychology , health care , nursing , mental health care , medicine , psychiatry , qualitative research , social science , paleontology , disease , pathology , sociology , economics , biology , economic growth
Objective To explore health professionals’ (clinicians) approach to the provision of care in a dementia setting. Methods Participants were clinicians from two older persons’ mental health services (community and inpatient). Participants completed an interview about strategies to engage with, and barriers to providing person‐centred care to consumers with a co‐morbid diagnosis of dementia. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Three main themes were developed through analysis of the interview data: (1) overall approach to care (synthesis of care and cure principles), (2) the challenges in the provision of care, and (3) coping strategies to manage care demands. Conclusion Developing a relationship with a patient and attending to their medical needs were seen as optimal care, relevant to both person‐centred and task‐oriented approaches to dementia care. Clinicians also highlighted the importance of their own personal resources and attitudes in shaping the type of care provided.