USERS’ SATISFACTION OF THE MEETING CENTRE SUPPORT PROGRAMME IN ITALY, POLAND AND THE U.K.

Abstract

The positively evaluated Dutch Meeting Centres Support Programme (MCSP) (Dröes et al., 2000, 2004, 2006) was adaptively implemented in Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom in the JPND-MeetingDem project. Meeting Centres offer support for people with dementia and their carers based on their individual needs and wishes. The Adaptation – Coping Model (Dröes, 1991) that describes the adaptive tasks and strategies people have to deal with as a consequence of dementia is the theoretical framework for all activities provided within MCSP. The evaluation of users’ satisfaction of MCSP in the three involved countries consisted of both qualitative and quantitative methods. The Dutch User Satisfaction Questionnaire for PwD and carers, translated in Italian, Polish and English, were used. People living with dementia (n=82) and their carers (n=85) partook in survey interviews after 3 and 6 months of MCSP participation. In addition, after 9 months of being involved in MCSP, some participants were asked to participate in focus groups (organised separately for people with dementia and carers in three countries) to provide feedback on MCSP. Both groups, people living with dementia and their carers, reported great satisfaction with MCSP. Carers reported that they felt less burden than before they had started participating in MC's activities. Focus group analysis showed that people with dementia improved their ability in dealing with adaptive tasks as described in the Adaptation-Coping Model (Dröes, 1991) in three areas: the cognitive, social and emotional adaptation. More specifically, people with dementia noticed improved ability to participate in everyday activities, and improvement in relations between them and family members, their mood and motivation. Carers also highlighted the increase of mood and motivation of their closest ones. They also indicated the importance of the emotional and informative support they themselves received in MC. The user evaluation of MCSP shows that the Dutch model helps people living with dementia and their informal carers in their capacity to manage everyday tasks and challenges caused by dementia. The support provided by MCSP is attuned to the participants’ wishes and needs and it has a visible impact on their quality of life.