Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-rkxrd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T17:04:33.219Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Carer-rated needs assessment of a cohort of people with dementia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Aideen Freyne ,
Martina Dolan  and
Colm Cooney
Colm Cooney
Affiliation:
Dept of Old Age Psychiatry, Carew House, St Vincent's University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Ireland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives: With increasing longevity, more people will develop dementia. These people will have a wide range of needs according to their circumstances. Services in the community struggle to meet these needs. This study aimed to identify needs of dementia sufferers attending the South Dublin Old Age Psychiatry service as rated by their carers, to assess the extent of unmet need and the implication of this.

Method: The carers of 40 community-dwelling people with dementia attending the service were interviewed by one researcher using the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE). This measures a wide range of needs over 24 areas, from personal care, to social, financial and psychological care needs. Qualitative information was also obtained from carers regarding services available and their accessibility. A measure of carer stress and satisfaction with help for this was also obtained.

Results: Overall, the highest levels of need identified (both met and unmet) were in the areas of psychological functioning (memory and psychological distress), followed by social needs in the areas of managing money, daytime activities, self-care, and looking after the home. Highest unmet social needs were in the areas of daytime activities, home care and managing money. For 23/24 domains, carers were satisfied rather then unsatisfied with help received. The areas of greatest dissatisfaction to them concerned daytime activities, household skills and self-care. Over half of the carers reported psychological distress.

Conclusion: High levels of need, both met and unmet were identified. Many identified needs related to the provision of community supports in the areas of selfcare, household skills and daytime activities, in addition to psychiatric needs. Assessment of needs is important to ensure adequate and responsive service provision, in keeping with the ethos of community care.

Keywords

DementiaNeeds assessmentUnmet needsServices
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 72 - 76
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.An Action Plan for Dementia 1999. Report no 54. National Council on Ageing and Older People, 1999.Google Scholar
2.Brodaty, H, Green, A, Low, L-F. Family carers for people with dementia. In: Burns, A, O'Brien, J, Ames, D (Eds). Dementia. Hodder Arnold, 2000.Google Scholar
3.Stephens, A, Gabbay, J. Needs assessment needs assessment. Health Trends 1991; 23: 20–23.Google Scholar
4.McWalter, G, Toner, H, McWalter, Aet al.A community needs assessment; the care needs assessment pack for dementia (CARENAP D) – it's development, reliability, and validity. Int J Geriatr Psych 1998; 13: 16–22.3.0.CO;2-N>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Nankervis, J, Schofield, H, Herrman, H, Bloch, S. Home-based assessment for family carers: a preventative strategy to identify and meet service needs. Int J Ger Psych 1997; 12: 193–201.3.0.CO;2-U>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Cooper, B, Fearn, R. Dementia care needs in an area population: case register data and morbidity survey estimates. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 1998; 13: 550–.3.0.CO;2-V>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Meaney, AM, Croke, M, Kirby, M. Needs assessment in dementia. Int J Ger Psychiatry 2005; 20: 322–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Lyons, RA, McCarthy, R, O'Connor, A. Community health service utilisation and needs in an elderly population. Irish J Med Science 1991; 160; 307–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Folstein, MF, Folstein, SE, McHigh, PR. Mini-mental state: a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatry Res 1975; 12: 189–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10.Reynolds, T, Thornicroft, G, Abas, Met al.Camberwell assessment of need for the elderly. Development, validity and reliability. Br J Psychiatry 2000; 444–452.Google Scholar
11.Orrell, M, Hancock, G. CANE: Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly. Gaskell Publications, 2004.Google Scholar
12.Illiffe, S, Lenihan, P, Orrell, Met al.The development of a short instrument to identify common unmet needs in older people in general practice. Br J Gen Pract 2004; 54: 914–8.Google Scholar
13.Goldberg, D, Huxley, P. Mental Illness in the Community: The Pathway to Psychiatric Care. London: Tavistock Publications, 1980.Google Scholar
14.Walters, K, Illiffe, S, Orrell, M. An exploration of help-seeking behaviour in older people with unmet needs. Family Practice 2001; 18: 277–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed