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Symposium

Social Research, Policy, and Practice

Interventions for Caregivers and Persons Living With Dementia Across the Long-Term Care Continuum

Thursday, November 14, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
Location: Room 602
CE: 1.5

According to estimates from the Alzheimer's Association 2023 Alzheimer's disease Facts and Figures, there are an estimated 6.7 million people living with dementia (PLWD) in the United States. With increasing older age as the number one risk factor, this number will only continue to grow. Family and direct care workers (e.g., nurses, certified nursing assistants, social workers) provide the bulk of care to PLWD across the health care continuum. Interventions are needed to assist and improve dementia care for families, direct care workers and PLWD. This symposium includes four papers that have conducted dementia care interventions in different care settings. The first paper is a Palliative Care Education in Assisted Living intervention for nurses and administrators in 10 ALs to increase advance care planning documentation for AL residents (N=118) and to increase staff self-efficacy (N=23). Self-reported self-efficacy will be compared to treatment fidelity data on ACP discussions with family to examine how well the ACP discussion intervention protocol was adhered to. The second paper is an intervention study that employs mixed methods in a sample of 155 Veterans Health Administration clinicians to test the effectiveness of the Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT) and the impact the VDT has on their clinical practices. The third paper tested the feasibility of a group digital gaming intervention in a sample of 40 PLWD and their caregivers in adult day centers. The fourth paper tests the feasibility of an e-Pain support intervention for ADRD hospice patient caregivers. The scalability of each intervention will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

  • demonstrate difference ways to measure self-reported and observed staff self-efficacy for direct care nursing staff providing palliative care for persons living with dementia in assisted living settings.
  • describe ways how the virtual dementia training program could facilitate a better understanding among Veteran Administration clinical staff of what it is like to live with the physical symptoms of dementia.
  • define family members' experiences with technological interventions to improve care for persons living with dementia including a group-based digital gaming system and the ePain Support app.

Presentations:

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    An Examination of Staff Self-Efficacy Measurement in the Palliative Care Education in Assisted Living Intervention

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Debra Dobbs, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers) – University of South Florida

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Immersive Dementia Experience: Transforming Dementia Care

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Kelly O'Malley, PhD (she/her/hers) – VA Boston Healthcare System

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Impact of Group-Based Digital Gaming Intervention Among Individuals Living With Early to Moderate Dementia

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Megumi Inoue, PhD, MSW, RN (she/her/hers) – George Mason University

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Adaptation of the e-PainSupport Intervention for ADRD Caregivers

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Masako Mayahara, PhD, RN, CHPN, FPCN, FAAN (she/her/hers) – Washington University in St. Louis