'And so I took up residence': The experiences of family members of people with dementia during admission to an acute hospital unit.
It is estimated that a quarter of acute hospital beds are in use by older people with dementia at any one time. Little empirical research has been carried out that has specifically examined the day-to-day input of family members into the care of people with dementia during an acute hospital admission. In this article, we present the results of analysis of interviews with 26 family members of people with dementia about their experiences of supporting an admission of a person with dementia to an acute hospital unit in New Zealand. For all family members, the desire to support the person with dementia during their admission was at the forefront and was their primary focus. The theme, 'And so I took up residence', exemplifies fully the experiences of all of the family member participants. This study provides evidence that family members are a resource that may be unrecognised, untapped and unsupported in the event of hospitalisation of people with dementia.
['de Vries|Kay|K|', 'Drury-Ruddlesden|Jenny|J|', 'Gaul|Chris|C|']
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel D017028:Caregivers D003704:Dementia D005190:Family D005260:Female D006760:Hospitalization D006801:Humans D008297:Male D009520:New Zealand D010343:Patient Admission D011368:Professional-Family Relations
family members dementia acute hospital dignity neglect