INCREASING FAMILY INCLUSION IN NURSING HOMES FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA: A LITERATURE REVIEW

摘要

Family inclusion in nursing homes is central to the provision of individualized care for people with dementia. Although, ideally, family and staff members in nursing homes for people with dementia are equal partners in caregiving, a wide variety of barriers have been identified that hamper family inclusion in nursing homes. The aim of this literature review was to provide insight into strategies and interventions that enable family members of people with dementia in nursing homes to participate actively in nursing homes. Systematically searching the databases PubMed, Cinahl, PsycInfo and Embase led to 841 potential relevant publications. After screening titles, abstracts and full-texts, 29 studies were included (11 qualitative, 17 quantitative and 1 mixed-method). Interventions and strategies assessed in the included studies reached from educating family members about dementia or facilitating contact with other families, to how to successfully communicate with staff members or being a resident’s advocate in the nursing home. Even in case interventions and strategies had no significant or promising effects, most family members were satisfied with them. At the same time, the preferences for and results of interventions and strategies often depended on characteristics of family members. For example, differences were seen between spouses and children. Based on the literature review, it can be concluded that an intervention consisting of different components (for example, education about dementia, provision of decision aids, peer support, and possibilities to discuss end-of-life care) might be most promising for enabling family members to act as equal partners in caregiving.