Evaluating the Impact of an Emotion-Focused Model of Dementia Care on Patient Outcomes in Acute Care Settings

Emotion-focused model of care delivery creates a supportive environment for persons with dementia. There is a lack of certainty regarding one such emotion-focused model's effectiveness (Butterfly) in an acute care environment, primarily because prior research has been confined to long-term care (LTC) facilities. Studies have demonstrated reduced neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) when person-centred dementia care models are deployed for persons living with dementia (PLWD). A multi-site cross-sectional design assessed NPS in PLWD using the NPI-Q scale in hospitalized patients on a Emotion-focused unit for 7-21 days. We identified 177 PLWD (88 from an acute care for elderly unit, 89 from general medicine units). The two cohorts had 40 female and 48 male patients in the ACE unit and 35 female and 54 male patients in the general medicine unit. The average age between the two groups was 83 and 84 yrs, respectively. NPI-Q symptom severity was lower on the ACE unit in comparison to the general medicine unit. Mean improvement for motor behaviours and sleep were significant. Caregiver distress scores were significantly lower for delusions, agitation, anxiety, irritability, motor behaviour and sleep. Emotion-focused care made a statistically significant change in NPS severity and caregiver distress when compared to care provided in general medicine units.