What influences self‐perceived competence and confidence in dementia care home staff? A systematic review

Does current music therapy practice address the goals encapsulated in the UK Department of Health document, Living well with dementia: a national dementia strategy (the Dementia Strategy) published in 2009? A survey elicited the views of clients, family members, music therapists, care home staff and care home managers, about this question by focusing on the relationship between music therapy and the 17 objectives outlined in the Dementia Strategy. The results showed that the objectives that are related to direct activity of the music therapists (such as care and understanding of the condition) were seen as most fulfilled by music therapy, while those regarding practicalities (such as living within the community) were seen as least fulfilled. Although the responses from the four groups of participants were similar, differences for some questions suggest that people's direct experience of music therapy influences their views. This study suggests that many aspects of the Dementia Strategy are already seen as being achieved. The findings suggest that developments of both music therapy practices and government strategies on dementia care may benefit from being mutually informed.

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The arts in dementia care education: a developmental study

Journal of Public Mental Health ◽

10.1108/jpmh-06-2014-0028 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 18-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Hannah Zeilig ◽

Fiona Poland ◽

Chris Fox ◽

John Killick

Keyword(s):

Care Home ◽

Dementia Care ◽

Developmental Study ◽

Content Type ◽

Policy Practice ◽

Interactive Mode ◽

Care Home Staff ◽

The Arts ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Contextual Framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the first stage of an innovative developmental study addressing the educational and emotional needs of dementia care home staff using arts-based materials. Design/methodology/approach – The arts workshop was developed using a mixed methods approach. This included ethnographic observation within a dementia care home, in-depth interviews with senior care home managers, a thematic analysis of focus groups and the development of a comic. At all stages, the multi-disciplinary project team collaborated closely with the care home staff. A comprehensive literature review of the policy, practice and academic background to dementia workforce education provided a contextual framework for the study. Perspectives from the medical humanities informed the project. Findings – Despite the high prevalence of people living with dementia in care homes, there is a lack of appropriate training for the workforce that provides their care. This study found that an arts-based workshop offering an interactive mode of education was an effective way to engage this workforce. The workshop empowered participants to recognise their skills and focus on person-centred care; reflecting current recommendations for dementia care. Research limitations/implications – The workshop was delivered in a single dementia care home and therefore findings may not be generalisable. In addition, the management did not take a direct part in the delivery of the workshop and therefore their views are not included in this study. Practical implications – The arts-based approach can offer a means of engaging the dementia care workforce in education linked to their experience of caring. Originality/value – The paper identifies the gap in relevant education for the dementia care workforce and outlines one possible way of addressing this gap using the arts.

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How do we provide good mealtime care for people with dementia living in care homes? A systematic review of carer–resident interactions

Dementia ◽

10.1177/14713012211002041 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 147130122110020

Author(s):

James Faraday ◽

Clare Abley ◽

Fiona Beyer ◽

Catherine Exley ◽

Paula Moynihan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Hospital Admissions ◽

Care Home ◽

Good Practice ◽

Oral Intake ◽

Care Homes ◽

Synthesis Process ◽

Future Research ◽

Care Home Staff ◽

People With Dementia

People with dementia who live in care homes often depend on care home staff for help with eating and drinking. It is essential that care home staff have the skills and support they need to provide good care at mealtimes. Good mealtime care may improve quality of life for residents, and reduce hospital admissions. The aim of this systematic review was to identify good practice in mealtime care for people with dementia living in care homes, by focusing on carer-resident interactions at mealtimes. Robust systematic review methods were followed. Seven databases were searched: AgeLine, BNI, CENTRAL, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened independently by two reviewers, and study quality was assessed with Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Narrative synthesis was used to analyse quantitative and qualitative evidence in parallel. Data were interrogated to identify thematic categories of carer-resident interaction. The synthesis process was undertaken by one reviewer, and discussed throughout with other reviewers for cross-checking. After title/abstract and full-text screening, 18 studies were included. Some studies assessed mealtime care interventions, others investigated factors contributing to oral intake, whilst others explored the mealtime experience. The synthesis identified four categories of carer-resident interaction important to mealtime care: Social connection, Tailored care, Empowering the resident, and Responding to food refusal. Each of the categories has echoes in related literature, and provides promising directions for future research. They merit further consideration, as new interventions are developed to improve mealtime care for this population.

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Staff experiences of implementing Dementia Care Mapping to improve the quality of dementia care in care homes: a qualitative process evaluation

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-021-06152-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alys Wyn Griffiths ◽

Olivia C. Robinson ◽

Emily Shoesmith ◽

Rachael Kelley ◽

Claire A. Surr

Keyword(s):

Process Evaluation ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Care Home ◽

Dementia Care ◽

Practice Change ◽

Care Homes ◽

Complex Nature ◽

Care Home Staff ◽

Care Mapping ◽

Dementia Care Mapping

Abstract Background Dementia Care Mapping™ (DCM) is a widely used, staff-led, psychosocial intervention to support the implementation of person-centred care. Efficacy evaluations in care homes have produced mixed outcomes, with implementation problems identified. Understanding the experiences of staff trained to lead DCM implementation is crucial to understanding implementation challenges, yet this has rarely been formally explored. This study aimed to examine the experiences of care home staff trained to lead DCM implementation, within a large cluster randomised controlled trial. Methods Process evaluation including, semi-structured interviews with 27 trained mappers from 16 intervention allocated care homes. Data were analysed using template variant of thematic analysis. Results Three main themes were identified 1) Preparedness to lead - While mappers overwhelmingly enjoyed DCM training, many did not have the personal attributes required to lead practice change and felt DCM training did not adequately equip them to implement it in practice. For many their expectations of the mapper role at recruitment contrasted with the reality once they began to attempt implementation; 2) Transferring knowledge into practice – Due to the complex nature of DCM, developing mastery required regular practice of DCM skills, which was difficult to achieve within available time and resources. Gaining engagement of and transferring learning to the wider staff team was challenging, with benefits of DCM largely limited to the mappers themselves, rather than realised at a care home level; and 3) Sustaining DCM - This required a perception of DCM as beneficial, allocation of adequate resources and support for the process which was often not able to be provided, for the mapper role to fit with the staff member’s usual duties and for DCM to fit with the home’s ethos and future plans for care. Conclusions Many care homes may not have staff with the requisite skills to lead practice change using DCM, or the requisite staffing, resources or leadership support required for sustainable implementation. Adaptations to the DCM tool, process and training may be required to reduce its complexity and burden and increase chances of implementation success. Alternatively, models of implementation not reliant on care home staff may be required.

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The experiences of care home staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

Aging & Mental Health ◽

10.1080/13607863.2021.2013433 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Kristina Lily Gray ◽

Heather Birtles ◽

Katharina Reichelt ◽

Ian Andrew James

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Care Home ◽

Care Home Staff

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Enjoying the front-line of dementia care: an integrative analysis of what care home staff report makes them happy at work

Working with Older People ◽

10.1108/wwop-07-2014-0020 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 167-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jill Manthorpe

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Social Care ◽

Care Home ◽

Dementia Care ◽

Care Homes ◽

Front Line ◽

Content Type ◽

Care Home Staff ◽

People With Dementia

Purpose – High turnover of staff in the long-term dementia care sector contributes to poor quality care and lack of continuity of care in the UK and many other countries. The purpose of this paper is to explore the research evidence on what care assistants report they enjoy when working in front-line dementia care jobs in long-term care facilities. Design/methodology/approach – An integrative analysis was used to study research findings focusing on the front-line workforce in care homes. The literature review sought to capture key findings, including overviews of research, from studies from 1990 to mid-2014 that have considered the positive experiences of front-line care home staff working with people with dementia. Findings – There is a great deal of research investigating care home staff's job satisfaction. Much of this highlights the importance of personal, social and managerial relationships. Common themes continue to be reported. There is potential for work on improving care assistant experiences in care homes but also a need to address long-standing inequities affecting the care home sector. Research limitations/implications – Some studies are not precise about which staff groups they are investigating in studies about care homes and many concentrate on the problems staff report. Measures of job satisfaction vary. When exploring dementia-related care not all studies are clear if care home residents have dementia or not. Practical implications – Many studies have investigated the views of care assistants working with people with dementia in care homes that address happiness in their work, often reported as job or work satisfaction, and these should be consulted when developing dementia services or managing care homes. As with other parts of the social care workforce, employers and managers need to be aware of effective and acceptable workforce reforms and ways to reduce turnover. Originality/value – This review suggests the value of investigating positive aspects of care work with people with dementia living in care homes. Greater attention could be paid to job satisfaction in social care more widely.

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Care home staff ‘ill equipped’ to improve end of life dementia care

Nursing Standard ◽

10.7748/ns.30.29.10.s9 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 30 (29) ◽

pp. 10-10

Author(s):

Petra Kendall-Raynor

Keyword(s):

End Of Life ◽

Care Home ◽

Dementia Care ◽

Care Home Staff

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Enhanced healthcare in care homes for people with dementia: the Admiral nursing offer

Nursing and Residential Care ◽

10.12968/nrec.2021.23.7.4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (7) ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Karen Harrison Dening ◽

Zena Aldridge

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Residential Care ◽

Social Care ◽

Care Home ◽

Dementia Care ◽

Care Homes ◽

Complex Needs ◽

Care Home Staff ◽

People With Dementia ◽

Health And Social Care

Background The UK older population is higher than the global average. Over the next 20 years, England will see an increase in the number of older people who have higher levels of dependency, dementia and comorbidity, many of whom will require 24-hour residential care. It is estimated that 70% of residents in nursing and residential care homes either have dementia on admission or develop it while residing in the care home, many of who will have complex needs with high levels of multimorbidity. However, there is a lack of consistency in the provision of primary care and specialist services to this population and a known gap in knowledge and skills of dementia care in care home staff and primary care teams. Methods This article considers the current health policy drivers to enhance integrated health and social care provision to care homes and proposes a model of care that would support the aims of the NHS Long Term Plan for care to be delivered closer to home and improve out of hospital care which includes people who live in care homes by introducing Enhanced Health in Care Homes. It is crucial that such a model includes the correct skill mix to meet the needs of the care home population. Conclusions There are currently gaps in service provision to many care homes. Admiral nurse case managers and specialists in dementia care, are well placed to support the delivery of Enhanced Health in Care Homes and improve access to specialist support to care home residents, their families, care home staff and the wider health and social care system.

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