Holistic home care for dementia patients
Koech, Angela Morgen; Kambo, Elizabeth; Adhikari, Nirmala (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025051712831
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025051712831
Tiivistelmä
Nurses play a vital role in the care of people living with dementia. The most are cared for in a home based setting, so it is important to understand the challenges that nurses face that affect the holistic care they can provide. This study aims to answer the question: How nurses can provide a holistic home care for dementia patients. The study also intends to provide nursing care teams with evidence based research that is beneficial in effectively caring for patients living with dementia in a home care setting.
This study used a descriptive literature review method where data were analyzed from existing scientific journals and articles from four databases, namely: CINAHL, MEDLINE, JOANNA BRIGGS and PUBMED. The articles were narrowed down using inclusion and exclusion criteria to yield 10 peer reviewed empirical studies conducted in English between the year 2011 to 2024. The studies were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis conducted in three phases: reduction phase, clustering phase and categorization.
The results revealed five key categories that should be incorporated into the implementation of a holistic care approach for patients with dementia. These included a patient centered care approach, with nurses recognizing the importance of treating patients based on their individual cognitive and emotional needs rather than solely focusing on their disease. Additional categories were interdisciplinary collaboration among various healthcare teams, ongoing training and education to ensure the delivery of quality care, and comprehensive pain management and palliative care that prioritizes the dignity, comfort, and quality of life of patients living with dementia The research also showed the need to address gaps in training and education, particularly in pain management and palliative care. The further implementation of interdisciplinary collaboration was identified as a key factor in improving and enhancing the holistic approach to home care for patients with dementia.
This study used a descriptive literature review method where data were analyzed from existing scientific journals and articles from four databases, namely: CINAHL, MEDLINE, JOANNA BRIGGS and PUBMED. The articles were narrowed down using inclusion and exclusion criteria to yield 10 peer reviewed empirical studies conducted in English between the year 2011 to 2024. The studies were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis conducted in three phases: reduction phase, clustering phase and categorization.
The results revealed five key categories that should be incorporated into the implementation of a holistic care approach for patients with dementia. These included a patient centered care approach, with nurses recognizing the importance of treating patients based on their individual cognitive and emotional needs rather than solely focusing on their disease. Additional categories were interdisciplinary collaboration among various healthcare teams, ongoing training and education to ensure the delivery of quality care, and comprehensive pain management and palliative care that prioritizes the dignity, comfort, and quality of life of patients living with dementia The research also showed the need to address gaps in training and education, particularly in pain management and palliative care. The further implementation of interdisciplinary collaboration was identified as a key factor in improving and enhancing the holistic approach to home care for patients with dementia.