How can doll-therapy facilitate a more person-centred approach to meeting ADL needs of older people with dementia in acute care?
Citation
(2016) How can doll-therapy facilitate a more person-centred approach to meeting ADL needs of older people with dementia in acute care?, no. 78.
Abstract
Dementia is a progressive disease of brain tissue that causes various cognitive
symptoms such as memory loss, reduced clarity of thought and changes in feelings,
behaviour and thinking. Currently the number of older adults with dementia in Scotland
is around 90,000 and roughly two thirds of people in hospital beds are over the age of
65; an estimated 30% of them have dementia. Dementia affects each individual in
different ways; however, generally admission to an acute hospital is a very stressful
experience which disrupts the routine of the person with dementia. Acute care
environments are challenging for people with dementia due to established routines and
nursing staff's busy schedules that do not allow for the flexibility in approach to care that
many people living with dementia require. The evidence suggests that some members
of nursing staff feel that people with dementia are a disruption to their workday and they
do not know how to manage some of the behavioural symptoms of dementia such as
wandering and aggression. This highlights the importance of identifying a method of
providing care to people with dementia that would result in them having a better care
experience and would assist nurses in providing this care in a person-centred way.
Doll therapy is a relatively new practice that utilises dolls in order to improve social
wellbeing and quality of life for people living with dementia. There is currently very
limited evidence underpinning doll therapy and what does exist does not include its use
in acute care settings. From the existing evidence it appears that doll therapy has the
potential to benefit some older adults with dementia, however, although it is a new
practice, doll therapy has already generated a great deal of controversy. Many nurses perceive the use of dolls for older adults with dementia to be infantile and unethical
which poses a great challenge to the development of this therapy.
The purpose of this research proposal is therefore to explore the possible benefits that
doll therapy could bring to older adults with dementia during an acute hospital
admission. However, due to the negative preexisting opinions many nurses have
towards this therapy, it will be conducted using a Participatory Action Research
methodology. This research aims to work alongside participants on an acute medical
ward in one NHS Health Board to work towards making acute care settings more
person-centred for people with dementia. Group interviews and ward observations will
be the methods utilised to plan the implementation approach as well as provide a
continuous approach to evaluation throughout the entire process. The findings of this
research will be utilised to inform future research cycles and to act as the first study to
focus on the use of dolls for older adults with dementia in acute care settings.