Abstract
The number of people with intellectual disability and dementia increases; this combination causes behavioural changes. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) supports staff in dementia care in nursing homes and may be useful in intellectual disability-care. This qualitative study examines the feasibility of DCM for older people with intellectual disability and dementia. The present authors obtained data in focus groups and interviews with professional users and analysed using a framework for feasibility studies. With experts in dementia and intellectual disability researches, the present authors determined the overall feasibility. DCM was found to be feasible in intellectual disability-care, regarding five domains of feasibility. Staff reported DCM to be useful and valuable and addresses to their demand for skills and knowledge. All professional users found DCM feasible in intellectual disability-care, which was confirmed by experts. DCM is feasible in intellectual disability-care. When fully tailored to intellectual disability-care, DCM is useful and provides opportunities to assess its effectiveness.
Highlights
The number of people with intellectual disability and dementia increases; this combination causes behavioural changes
The present authors found that Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is feasible in intellectual disability-care for older people with intellectual disability and dementia, from the perspective of receivers, providers (DCM-mappers, DCM-trainers) and experts in intellectual disability and dementia researches
Our study showed that DCM is feasible for use in the care of older people with intellectual disability and dementia, without major adaptations
Summary
The number of people with intellectual disability and dementia increases; this combination causes behavioural changes. Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) supports staff in dementia care in nursing homes and may be useful in intellectual disability-care. This qualitative study examines the feasibility of DCM for older people with intellectual disability and dementia. 10 years together in the same group home Staff in both homes reported that some of them incidentally received a training in caring for older people with intellectual disability, but that most of their current knowledge was practice-based. In each home, lived eight older people with intellectual disability, of whom three had dementia. Complex care was provided; the residents had moderate to severe levels of intellectual disability; and had multiple problems, such as syndromes (e.g., Down, Rett, Prader–Willi), autism, psychiatric diseases (e.g., anxiety disorder, delusional disorder) and/or problems linked to ageing (e.g., dementia, hearing and sight impairment, internal conditions, cancer)
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