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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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A life history intervention for individuals with dementia
— a randomised controlled trial examining nursing staff empathy, perceived patient personhood and aggressive behaviours | | Author(s) | Heather Eritz, Thomas Hadjistavropoulos, Jaime Williams |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 36, no 10, November 2016 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, November 2016 |
| Pages | pp 2061-2089 |
| Source | journals.cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Aggression ; Memory and Reminiscence ; Person-centred care ; Quality of life ; Nursing homes ; Attitude ; Care home staff ; Nurses ; Evaluation ; Canada. |
| Annotation | Behaviours of concern (e.g. aggression) are often present in residents of long-term care (LTC) facilities diagnosed with dementia and may impact quality of life. Previous uncontrolled research has shown that an intervention involving sharing resident life histories may be effective in reducing aggressive behaviours and improving quality of life, perhaps by increasing staff empathy. In this Canadian study, 73 residents were randomised to either a life history intervention (N = 38) or a control condition (N = 35). The authors also examined staff perceptions of LTC resident personhood in relation to aggressive behaviour. Ninety-nine nurses and care aides answered questionnaires about their own attitudes and the residents' behaviours and quality of life at baseline, post-intervention and at follow-up. Results of mixed-effects modelling indicated significant differences between groups in personhood perception and resident quality of life. Personhood perception mediated the relationship between the intervention and improved quality of life. Significant negative correlations were identified between resident cognitive impairment and staff perceptions of resident personhood. Qualitative findings suggested that staff primarily changed their verbal interactions with residents following the intervention, which may be particularly helpful for residents with the most severe dementia. Results indicate that LTC residents benefit when life histories are constructed with their families and shared with nursing staff. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-161021006 A |
| Classmark | EA: EPB: DB: PAA: F:59: LHB: DP: QRM: QTE: 4C: 7S |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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