Communication Experiences of Dementia Care Partners in Hospitals
Author Information
Author(s): Medlin Austin, Still Catherine, Strayer Andrea, Fields Beth, Werner Nicole
Primary Institution: Indiana University Bloomington
Hypothesis
How do care partners of people living with dementia experience communication with clinicians during hospitalizations?
Conclusion
Care partners often feel dissatisfied with their communication experiences during hospitalizations, highlighting areas for improvement.
Supporting Evidence
- Care partners provide the majority of care to people living with dementia during and after hospitalizations.
- Effective communication between clinicians and care partners is foundational to care partner inclusion.
- Negative perceptions arose surrounding the physical presence of the care partner dictating the amount of communication.
- Those with positive experiences described a 'family-like' communication style.
Takeaway
Care partners help take care of people with dementia in hospitals, but they often feel left out and want better communication with doctors.
Methodology
Qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews.
Limitations
The study is based on a small sample size of 15 care partners.
Participant Demographics
Care partners of people living with dementia who had experienced hospitalization within the last year.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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