Developing a Model for the Nursing Care of Elderly Dementia Patients In Advanced Treatment Hospitals

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The aim of this research is to develop a nursing care model for elderly dementia patients admitted to advanced treatment hospitals.First we conducted a search of the medical records of patients admitted to Advanced Treatment Facility `A' from 1 September 2004 to 31 March 2006 to clarify the conditions surrounding admission of elderly dementia patients. As a result, we discovered that 43.8% of the hospital's entire inpatient population were elderly patients aged 65 years or over, among whom 1.5% had been diagnosed with dementia. Next we conducted a paper-based questionnaire on 242 nurses from 1 to 17 November 2006 with the aim of illustrating the actual experiences and issues encountered by nurses in caring for elderly dementia patients at Advanced Treatment Facility `A'. The results of the questionnaire showed that while 77.8% of nurses claimed to have dealt with multiple elderly dementia patients. Furthermore, 70% of those nurses who had cared for elderly dementia patients felt that the task was difficult and the level of satisfaction with the actual care provided was also low.Enlisting the cooperation of 22 advanced treatment facilities in Japan, we also conducted a survey of head nurses from15January to 22 February 2008 and received a total of 113 responses. The survey results indicated that 14.2% had been drawn up and were using nurse standing orders. Around 50% of the head nurses who had experienced caring for elderly dementia patients felt that the level of difficulty in providing such care varied according to the patient.Based on the results of the surveys outlined above, we consider that the development of a model for the nursing care of elderly dementia patients in advanced treatment hospitals should incorporate the following factors: sufficient personnel to ensure ample care and realization of individualized care and so on.