Background: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. Persons with dementia receive substantial assistance from family caregivers over extended periods of time. Family caregivers of persons with dementia are twice as likely to report physical, emotional, and financial challenges related to caregiving compared with other types of family caregivers. Empathy has been demonstrated to improve caregivers' quality of life and their relationships with care recipients.
Objective: This scoping review examines the current literature on the effects of dementia simulation on empathy levels in family caregivers of persons with dementia.
Methods: A librarian-assisted search of 4 databases-PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), PsycINFO, and Scopus-was conducted. Key terms included "dementia," "family caregivers," and "simulation." To broaden reference retrieval, "empathy" was not used as a key term but remained an inclusion criterion during reference screening. Data extraction of relevant references was completed.
Results: The search yielded 212 citations. Seven eligible dementia simulation studies were identified, including 1 randomized controlled trial, 3 quasi-experimental studies, and 3 qualitative research studies. Only 3 of the 7 studies focused specifically on family caregivers of persons with dementia.
Conclusions: Qualitative data supported increased empathy in family caregivers, but quantitative findings on changes in empathy levels were inconclusive. Further research using quantitative or mixed-methods designs is necessary to support benefits of simulation on empathy for family caregivers of persons with dementia.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/01939459231201085 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Palliative Care Program for Community-Dwelling Individuals With Dementia and Caregivers: The IN-PEACE Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA
January 2025
Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.
Importance: Care management benefits community-dwelling patients with dementia, but studies include few patients with moderate to severe dementia or from racial and ethnic minority populations, lack palliative care, and seldom reduce health care utilization.
Objective: To determine whether integrated dementia palliative care reduces dementia symptoms, caregiver depression and distress, and emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations compared with usual care in moderate to severe dementia.
Design, Setting, And Participants: A randomized clinical trial of community-dwelling patients with moderate to severe dementia and their caregivers enrolled from March 2019 to December 2020 from 2 sites in central Indiana (2-year follow-up completed on January 7, 2023).
Importance: The effectiveness of different approaches to dementia care is unknown.
Objective: To determine the effectiveness of health system-based, community-based dementia care, and usual care for persons with dementia and for caregiver outcomes.
Design, Setting, And Participants: Randomized clinical trial of community-dwelling persons living with dementia and their caregivers conducted at 4 sites in the US (enrollment June 2019-January 2023; final follow-up, August 2023).
Correction: Internet-Based Supportive Interventions for Family Caregivers of People With Dementia: Randomized Controlled Trial.
JMIR Aging
January 2025
The Medical Record Statistics Department, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
Caregivers' Perspectives on Discussions of Medical Treatment Preferences for People Living with Dementia Are Associated with Their Dementia Health Literacy and the Caregiving Relationship.
Gerontologist
January 2025
Department of Health & Community Systems, School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Background And Objectives: People living with dementia experience progressive functional decline and increased dependence on caregivers. This study examined the influence of caregivers' dementia health literacy on perceptions of medical care preferences and advanced care planning (ACP) in people living with dementia.
Research Design And Methods: This analysis used data from a cross-sectional survey, "Care Planning for Individuals with Dementia", administered nationwide by Alzheimer's Disease Centers.
Refractory Psychosis as a Red Flag for End of Life in Individuals With Dementia With Lewy Bodies: A Case Series and Re-analysis of Prior Qualitative Data.
Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Objectives: Many individuals with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) die of disease-related complications, but predicting the end of life can be challenging. We identified a phenotype associated with approaching end of life.
Methods: We present 4 exemplar cases where individuals with DLB experienced refractory psychosis before death.
Want 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!