Introduction: More than half a million Canadians are living with dementia and 260,000 of these individuals live at home. As dementia progresses, persons with dementia require more assistance from caregivers to meet their daily needs including stimulation and emotional support. However, caregivers receive little training in this role. Namaste Care is a program originally developed for use in long-term care homes promoting a structured routine, a slow pace of care, and multisensorial activities for persons with advanced dementia. The program has not yet been adapted or evaluated for use by caregivers of community-dwelling older adults with moderate to advanced dementia. The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a version of Namaste Care adapted by caregivers.
Methods: A multiphase mixed methods design was used. In the adaptation phase, six caregivers participated in workshop sessions to adapt Namaste Care for home use. In the evaluation phase, 12 caregivers received training to use the adapted program. Surveys were used to collect data on caregiver quality of life, perceptions of caregiving, self-efficacy, and burden at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Qualitative interviews at 3-month follow-up were also completed to assess the acceptability of the program and implementation facilitators and barriers.
Findings: All caregivers used the program for a minimum of twice a week as planned and used a variety of program activities. The retention rate was 83%. Caregivers perceived that the program improved their relationships with persons with dementia. Implementation facilitators were receiving a Namaste Care Toolbox and written resources about Namaste Care. No statistically significant effects were found with regards to the outcome measures listed above.
Conclusions: The adapted Namaste Care program was feasible and acceptable for use by caregivers. There is a need to conduct a larger trial to determine the extent of its effects. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / With the growing numbers of family and friend caregivers across Canada supporting people living with dementia at home, there is a need to better prepare caregivers for their role. The aim of this study is to adapt, implement and evaluate a sense-based, skill-building program called Namaste Care delivered by caregivers of older adults living with moderate to advanced dementia. First, workshops for caregivers were held to adapt the Namaste Care program for home use. Afterwards, 12 caregivers received training in using the adapted program and delivered the program for three months. Caregivers used the program at least twice a week as intended and delivered a variety of activities. The program improved relationships with persons with dementia. No significant changes for caregiver quality of life, positive beliefs of caregiving, burden, and confidence were found. Next steps are to further test the effects of the program in a larger trial.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/27896 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Yous, Marie-Lee |
| Contributors | Ploeg, Jenny, Nursing |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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