Qualitative

4 thematic patterns described the experience of placing a relative with Alzheimer’s disease in a special care unit

Butcher HK, Holkup PA, Park M, et al. Thematic analysis of the experience of making a decision to place a family member with Alzheimer’s disease in a special care unit. Res Nurs Health 2001 Dec;24:470–80[Medline]

QUESTION: How do caregivers describe their experiences of deciding to place a relative with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in a special care unit (SCU)?

Key Words: Alzheimer’s disease • caregivers • nursing homes • patient-caregiver decision making

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Semistructured interviews.

3 midwestern states in the US.

30 family caregivers (80% women; 70% children and 30% spouses of patients) of relatives with AD who lived in an SCU.

Caregivers were interviewed for 1–3 hours by clinical nurse specialists or a gerontology specialist. These semistructured interviews were videotaped and transcribed. Caregivers were asked to describe the type and quantity of care they had provided before the SCU placement; their involvement since placement; the quality of their relationship with the SCU staff; their evaluation of the care their relative was receiving; and their views about the SCU placement. They were also asked to describe their feelings at the time of making the decision and during the actual relocation of their relative, and what helped or hindered dealing with their feelings about the SCU placement. 3 reviewers independently used Luborsky’s method of thematic analysis and QSR NUD*IST NVivo^TM qualitative software to code . . . [Full text of this article]

Chantal D Caron, RN, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing
Université de Sherbrooke
Researcher, Research Centre on Aging
Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada

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