Premium
Utilisation of formal and informal care and services at home among persons with dementia: a cross‐sectional study
Author(s) -
Bökberg Christina,
Ahlström Gerd,
Karlsson Staffan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of caring sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.678
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1471-6712
pISSN - 0283-9318
DOI - 10.1111/scs.12515
Subject(s) - dementia , institutionalisation , activities of daily living , cognition , descriptive statistics , medicine , gerontology , psychology , psychiatry , disease , statistics , mathematics , pathology
Background The progression of dementia disease implies increasing needs for both informal and formal care and services but also risk of institutionalisation. To better adjust care and services in the phase preceding institutionalisation it is important to find out whether utilisation of formal and informal care and services is determined by increased needs and by who meets the needs. Aim The aim was to compare persons with dementia (65+) with different levels of cognitive impairment, regarding utilisation of formal and informal care and service at home. Methods The participants consisted of 177 persons with dementia ≥65 years old and at risk of nursing home admission, divided into groups according to their cognitive function. Structured interviews were conducted based on questionnaires about type and amount of formal and informal care utilised, as well as questions regarding cognitive impairment, dependency in activities of daily living ( ADL s) and neuropsychiatric symptoms. To analyse the data, descriptive and comparative statistics were used. Results The findings revealed that the group with severe dementia used significantly more help with ADL s and supervision in terms of time (number of hours and days) provided by the informal caregiver, compared with the group with moderate dementia. Utilisation of formal care and services was highest in the group with the most severe cognitive impairments (Standardized Mini‐Mental State Examination score of <9). The group with severe dementia were more dependent in ADL s and had more neuropsychiatric symptoms (hallucinations and motor disturbances). They were younger and more often cohabitated with the informal caregiver, compared with the group with moderate dementia. Conclusion This study shows that in the phase preceding institutionalisation the ADL and supervision needs due to progression of dementia appear to tend to be met first and foremost by the informal caregivers.