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. 2011 Mar;26(3):292-8.
doi: 10.1002/gps.2527. Epub 2010 Jul 23.

Identification of community-residing individuals with dementia and their unmet needs for care

D Johnston  1 , Q M Samus, A Morrison, J S Leoutsakos, K Hicks, S Handel, R Rye, B Robbins, P V Rabins, C G Lyketsos, B S Black
Affiliations

Identification of community-residing individuals with dementia and their unmet needs for care

D Johnston et al. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Innovative approaches to the widespread delivery of evidence-based dementia care are needed. The aims of this study were to determine whether a telephone screening method could efficiently identify individuals in the community in need of care for dementia and to develop a multidimensional needs assessment tool for identifying the type and frequency of unmet needs related to memory disorders in the home setting.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional evaluation of 292 community-residing individuals aged 70 and older in Maryland. Participants were given a brief cognitive telephone screen. A subsample (n=43) received a comprehensive in-home assessment for dementia and dementia-related needs. Cognitive, functional, behavioral, and clinical factors were assessed. The Johns Hopkins Dementia Care Needs Assessment (JHDCNA) was used to identify unmet needs related to dementia.

Results: Telephone screening for the sample took 350 h, and 27% screened positive for dementia. Virtually all participants with dementia who received an in-home assessment had at least one unmet need, with the most frequent unmet needs being for a dementia workup, general medical care, environmental safety, assistance with ADL impairments, and access to meaningful activities. Caregivers, when present, also had a number of unmet needs, with the most common being caregiver education about dementia, knowledge of community resources, and caregiver mental health care.

Conclusions: Effective and efficient means for identifying community-residing individuals with dementia are needed so that dementia care interventions can be provided to address unmet care needs of patients and their caregivers.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sample Phone Screen Disposition
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of JHDCNA Domains by Diagnostic status and Unmet Needs
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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