1. Vascular cognitive impairment: When memory loss is not the biggest challenge.
- Author
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van de Schraaf SA, Smit MF, Muller M, Hertogh CM, Rhodius-Meester HF, and Sizoo EM
- Subjects
- Humans, Caregivers psychology, Memory Disorders, Data Collection, Qualitative Research, Dementia psychology, Cognitive Dysfunction psychology
- Abstract
Objectives: Vascular cognitive impairment is the second most common type of cognitive impairment. Care needs of community-dwelling people with vascular cognitive impairment and their caregivers have not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, we aimed to explore care needs of people with vascular cognitive impairment and their family caregivers., Design: A qualitative interview study., Setting and Participants: Participants were purposefully sampled community-dwelling people with vascular cognitive impairment and their family caregivers., Methods: Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Analysis and data collection followed an iterative process, until data saturation was achieved. We conducted 18 interviews (nine people with vascular cognitive impairment and nine caregivers), concerning 13 unique people with vascular cognitive impairment. We analyzed the data using inductive thematic analysis following the Braun & Clark method. The study was reported in accordance with the COREQ criteria., Findings: Five themes were identified in the care needs reported by people with vascular cognitive impairment and family caregivers: (1) Specific information need with subtheme (1A) No memory problem, no dementia? (2) Being respected as a person, (3) Differing concerns about the future, (4) The roles of the caregiver and (5) Decisiveness from professional healthcare., Conclusions and Implications: The care needs of people with vascular cognitive impairment and their caregivers were affected by (a lack of knowledge about) the characteristic symptoms of this condition. Participants equated cognitive impairment or dementia to memory loss ("Alzheimerization"), although memory loss was not their biggest challenge. People with vascular cognitive impairment and caregivers preferred resolute and decisive healthcare professionals. These professionals activate the person with vascular cognitive impairment who lacks initiative and diminishe role conflict of the caregiver. Care for people with vascular cognitive impairment and their caregivers could be improved by providing tailored information, promoting awareness of neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly apathy, and by healthcare professionals providing more guidance in decision-making., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: ES is recipient of an Alzheimer Nederland Grant [projectnumber WE.09-2022-01], which supports another research project of SvdS. HR performs contract research for Combinostics, all funding is paid to her institution, and is recipient of the Memorabel Dementia Fellowship 2021 [ZonMw projectnumber 10510022110004]. HR and MM are part of the Heart-Brain Connection crossroads (HBCx) consortium of the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance (DCVA). HBCx has received funding from the Dutch Heart Foundation [under grant agreements 2018-28 and CVON 2012-06]. Other authors report no potential conflicts of interest.
- Published
- 2024
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