Abstract
Objectives
To investigate differences in the provision and performance of case conferences for
people with dementia between dementia special care units (DSCUs) and traditional care
units (TCUs) in nursing homes. Because DSCUs employ more staff, we expect the likelihood
of the provision of case conferences to be higher in DSCUs.
Design
Observational cross-sectional study. Residents from DSCUs and TCUs were compared using
genetic propensity score matching over all of the observed potential covariates, including
the characteristics that served as admission criteria for DSCUs. Because of the multisite
structure of the data, clustering was accounted for with a generalized mixed model.
Setting
DSCUs are defined as units within nursing homes that offer care exclusively to residents
with dementia and that charge higher rates for the specialized care provided. TCUs
are defined as care units for residents with and without dementia.
Participants
A matched sample was drawn out of a convenience sample of 1808 residents from 51 nursing
homes. It consisted of 264 residents from 16 DSCUs and 264 residents from 48 TCUs.
Interventions
None.
Measurements
Data regarding the provision of case conferences were collected by the nurses using
the Dementia Care Questionnaire. Other collected data included challenging behavior
(Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire), mobility (Physical Self-Maintenance Scale),
cognitive impairment (Dementia Screening Scale), and sociodemographic information.
Results
In the DSCU group, case conferences were provided to 91% (n = 224) of the residents;
in the TCU group, 82.5% (n = 203) received a case conference. After adjusting for
clustering, no significant difference between DSCUs and non-DSCUs was found. The topic
“challenging behaviors” was discussed more often in case conferences in TCUs.
Conclusions
Case conferences are a widespread intervention in German nursing homes, including
both DSCUs and TCUs. The provision of a case conference is not a special feature of
DSCUs.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 29, 2015
Footnotes
The German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases funded the study.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
