Background: People living with dementia have complex communication needs, especially during acute hospital admissions. The VERA framework (validation, emotion, reassurance, activity) was designed to promote person centred communication between student nurses and people living with dementia, but there is limited evaluation of its impact.
Aim: To measure the impact of dementia communication training (based on VERA) plus older adult unit (OAU) placement on students' ability to recognise opportunities for person centred (PC) communication compared to OAU placement alone.
Method: A control pre-post-study design was used. Dementia communication training plus follow-up during OAU placement was delivered to 51 students (5 OAU, two hospitals) while 66 students (7 OAUs, five hospitals) acted as controls. The primary outcome was students' ability to recognise PC communication assessed using case vignettes. Data were collected using electronic survey and focus group interviews. Data analysis used independent non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test and thematic analysis.
Results: In total 52 students (response rate 40%) completed surveys at the end of placements (38 intervention, 14 control group students). In the intervention group, participants were significantly more likely to identify PC responses with a mean score of 10.5 (SD 3.0) compared with 7.5 (SD 3.0) in the control group (p = 0.006). In focus group interviews (n = 19 students), the main themes were connecting with patients, VERA in practice, communication challenges, and learning environment. VERA was described as a flexible approach that added to participants' communication toolkit. The learning environment, complexity of patients and organisational resources were important contextual factors.
Conclusion: The VERA framework has potential as a foundation level dementia communication training intervention, but it requires more rigorous testing. Nursing can lead the way in developing and embedding evidence-based, interdisciplinary dementia communication training in preregistration curricula.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.01.024 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Multisensory Stimulation in Rehabilitation of Dementia: A Systematic Review.
Biomedicines
January 2025
IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
: Dementia leads to cognitive decline, affecting memory, reasoning, and daily activities, often requiring full-time care. Multisensory stimulation (MSS), combined with cognitive tasks, can slow this decline, improving mood, communication, and overall quality of life. This systematic review aims to explore methods that utilize MSS in the rehabilitation of patients with dementia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFValidation of the Caregiver Analysis of Reported Experiences with Swallowing Disorders (CARES) Screening Tool for Neurodegenerative Disease.
Am J Speech Lang Pathol
January 2025
School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Purpose: Swallowing difficulties have a substantial impact on the burden experienced by care partners of individuals with neurodegenerative disease. Given this, there is a clear need to easily identify and quantify the unique aspects of swallowing-related burden. The purpose of this study was to establish the validity and reliability of the Caregiver Analysis of Reported Experiences with Swallowing Disorders (CARES) screening tool in care partners of individuals with neurodegenerative disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Co-Design of a Novel Approach for Engaging People with Dementia in Physical Activity.
Nurs Rep
December 2024
Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, Monash University, Frankston, VIC 3199, Australia.
Background: Promoting physical activity among people living with dementia is critical to maximise physical, cognitive and social benefits; yet the lack of knowledge, skills and confidence among health professionals, informal care partners and people with dementia deters participation. As the initial phase of a larger feasibility study, co-design was employed to develop a new model of community care, to facilitate the physical activity participation of older people living with mild dementia.
Methods: Co-design methodology was utilised with nine stakeholders (with experience in referring to or providing physical activity programs and/or contributing to policy and program planning) over three workshops plus individual interviews with four care partners of people with dementia.
The dysfunction of mitochondria, the primary source of cellular energy and producer of reactive oxygen species (ROS), is associated with brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Scientific evidence indicates that light in the visible and near-infrared spectrum can modulate mitochondrial activity, a phenomenon known in medicine as photobiomodulation therapy (PBM-t). The beneficial effects of PBM-t on dementia and neurodegeneration have been reviewed in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEconomic Evaluations of Music Therapy and Other Music-Based Interventions: A Scoping Review.
J Music Ther
January 2025
Department of Communication and Psychology, Aalborg University, 9220, Denmark.
The cost-effectiveness of an intervention is an important factor in health care decisions about which health care services should be publicly funded and/or approved as an eligible intervention for private insurance coverage. Music therapy as a health profession lacks substantial research on the cost-effectiveness of its services and there is no overview of existing data. We therefore conducted a scoping review.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!