Evaluating the effectiveness of the abilities-focused approach to morning care of people with dementia

sidani s., streiner d. & leclerc c. (2012) Evaluating the effectiveness of the abilities‐focused approach to morning care of people with dementia. International Journal of Older People Nursing 7 , 37–45 doi: 10.1111/j.1748‐3743.2011.00273.x Background and purpose. The abilities‐focused approach demonstrated efficacy in promoting engagement of residents with dementia in care. The extent to which these resident outcomes can be replicated when the abilities‐focused approach is implemented by nursing staff under the conditions of day‐to‐day practice was investigated in this study. The aim was to examine changes in resident outcomes before and after nursing staff’ implementation of the abilities‐focused approach and the contribution of this approach to resident outcomes. Methods. A one‐group pretest–post‐test design was used. Observational data were obtained from 65 residents with dementia. The data pertained to the implementation of abilities‐focused strategies during episodes of morning care and residents’ level of agitation, participation in morning care and physical and psychosocial functioning. Results. The number of abilities‐focused strategies used during morning care increased at post‐test. No clinically important changes in resident outcomes were observed over time. However, the implementation of some strategies was associated with residents’ participation in care and functioning at post‐test. The results provided preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of the abilities‐focused approach in maintaining functioning in people with dementia. Additional research is needed to understand the mechanism underlying the effects of this person‐centred approach to care on resident outcomes. Implications for practice. Implementation of the abilities‐focused approach assists people with dementia to participate in morning care.