Abstract
Little is known about the changes that occur for older persons with dementia in the practice of self-care routines. This study assesses the concordance of past and current self-care practices of day care and nursing home persons using spouse reports, the degree of spouse awareness of these changes, and spouse perception of how important self-care practices had been to their partner. Participants were spouses of 12 older persons with dementia in day care and spouses of 20 nursing home residents. Self-care routines were assessed using the Self-maintenance Habits and Preferences in Elderly (SHAPE) questionnaire. Day care attendees showed few changes in self-care routines compared to nursing home residents. Spouses of nursing home residents underestimate the changes in self-care that occur with nursing home admission. The importance of being aware of self-care changes lies in the value of maintaining continuity with the customary preferences and routines of the older person.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 184-189 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2007 |
Keywords
- Adult day care
- Dementia
- Nursing home
- Proxy reports
- Self-care