Impact of caregivers' behaviors on resistiveness to care and collaboration in persons with dementia in the context of hygienic care: an interactional perspective

Abstract

Background: The role played by various physical and verbal behaviors of professional caregivers in the onset of resistiveness to care (RTC) and collaborative behaviors of nursing home residents with dementia was assessed in a daily hygienic care routine context.

Methods: Two hundred and forty hygienic care routines, observed in eight nursing home residents, were analyzed with a video-assisted systematic observation methodology and a sequential statistical analysis strategy.

Results: Caregiver and care recipient behaviors are interdependent in the hygienic care routine context. Physical instrumental behavior, neutral, negative and positive statements, positive and negative instructions, and verbal distraction emitted by caregivers are significantly and moderately associated with the onset of RTC in persons with dementia (PWD), but the strength of relationships observed depends on the care recipient's behavior prior to the caregiver's action. Positive instructions are moderately associated with the onset of collaboration in residents with preserved language abilities. However, for residents with severe language impairment, these same instructions were linked to RTC behaviors.

Conclusions: Although antecedents to RTC can be identified, the risk that caregiver behaviors trigger resistive responses is higher when care recipients are already exhibiting RTC, and is low when no particular behavior or collaboration is shown. Antecedents to collaboration are also identified and discussed. Although different caregiver behaviors may be more or less likely to elicit resistiveness or collaboration, it is the pre-existing state of the care recipient that will determine its reaction to the caregiver's behavior. Clinical implications emerging from these influential findings are elaborated.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; activities of daily living; behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia; carers; dementia.