Communication for Alzheimer’s treatment success in healthcare interventions with education

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe CDC estimates that 5.8 million Americans will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2020, and the number of Alzheimer’s cases is projected to nearly triple to 14 million people by 2060 (Matthews et al., 2019). Alzheimer’s patients frequently have difficulty communicating with healthcare providers resulting in decreased quality of care. Family members of Alzheimer’s patients accompany their loved ones to healthcare appointments, frequently witnessing an escalation of confusion and not possessing the knowledge and tools to aid communication (Thompson et al., 2020). Currently, in assisted living programs for Alzheimer’s patients, family members are not educated on communication strategies when leaving the facility with their loved ones (Brodaty & Donkin, 2009. Therefore the purpose of this project is to develop an Alzheimer’s educational intervention on communication for family members of patients with Alzheimer’s currently living in an assisted living program.MethodParticipants will include family members of Alzheimer’s patients from an assisted living unit at a senior facility in the Midwest United States. A zoom educational presentation will include how family members can assist their loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease during healthcare/dentist visits, and personal trips such as hair salons, and restaurants. Participants will complete pre‐ and post‐test evaluations of their knowledge regarding best communication practices for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and their confidence in their ability to apply these methodsResultWe will assess the impact of this project and its implications as a nurse‐driven education to improve family members' knowledge related to Alzheimer’s communication. This can improve outings and experiences for families, ultimately resulting in improved quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients.ConclusionAlzheimer’s disease education is needed for family members to help navigate common appointments and outings such as healthcare/dentist visits, hygienic/hair salon appointments, and restaurants. This education can improve the quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients and their family members.