Search

Purpose: The purpose this paper is to explore walking with purpose in extra care, retirement and domestic housing settings to better understand and support people living with dementia in these settings, develop recommendations and inform practice. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-methods study was used: scoping literature review; online survey of extra care and retirement housing managers in the UK; case studies involving interviews with staff and family carers (n = 14) of ten individuals who engaged in walking with purpose in the different housing settings. Findings: Although residents who walk with purpose constitute a minority (0–2 residents), managing walking with purpose can be challenging and time consuming. Distraction or redirection was the most common response. Other strategies included identifying the resident's motivations and accommodating their wishes or walking with them. Culture of care, staff training and dementia-friendly design are keys to effective support for safe walking with purpose. Responses to walking with purpose in the domestic housing settings have raised serious deprivation of liberty issues. Research limitations/implications: This study had a number of limitations. The completed survey questionnaires represent a self-selected sample of extra care and retirement housing settings, and responses are based on the perceptions of the staff members completing the survey. There were a relatively small number of case study sites (three extra care housing and three retirement housing), and it was not possible to interview family members for all of the residents who walked with purpose. Originality/value: This study provides unique data on walking with purpose in extra care and retirement housing setting in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the coping styles that can be inferred from the discourse of dyads with dementia, and how these appear to impact on care management. Design/methodology/approach: This was a case study approach. Participants were recruited from two teams managing crisis in dementia in the UK. The authors conducted multiple qualitative interviews with people with dementia and their family carers over the course of one month. The analysis was first performed through thematic analysis. Data were further analysed through narrative inquiry to create a story line, or play in our case, for our findings. Findings: Five dyads were interviewed and a total of 16 interviews were conducted. Three dyads were husband–wife and two were daughter–mother relationships. The mean age was 67.4 years for carers and 79.8 years for people with dementia. In these cases, the carer assumed responsibility for managing the episode and was more likely to seek formal help if a pre-existing plan was in place. Otherwise, when a crisis arose, dyads preferred to avoid involving professionals. Practical implications: Psychosocial interventions should aim to identify and replace unhelpful strategies used by dyads to manage crisis episodes. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study using qualitative interviews of dyads to inquire into their experience of mental health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]