Dementia Care Mapping in long-term care settings: a systematic review of the evidence

Abstract

Available research provides preliminary evidence that Dementia Care Mapping may benefit care workers and people living with dementia in care settings. Future research should build on the successful studies to date and use other outcomes to better understand the benefits of this intervention.

Effects of Dementia Care Mapping on job satisfaction and caring skills of staff caring for older people with intellectual disabilities: A quasi‐experimental study

“…As in previous studies, we have connected our outcome measures to the claim that DCM increases job satisfaction. Studies on DCM that aimed at dementia care staff found improved caring skills, leading to increased job satisfaction, which included a tendency of reduced stress, burnout and emotional exhaustion as well as less negative and more positive reactions to clients, although this was not significant (Barbosa et al, ). DCM may thus indirectly improve some negative work experiences but its effects may be too weak to improve job satisfaction.…”

“…Moreover, the two previous studies to assess the effect of DCM on dementia care staff both made use of experienced mappers, but offering either one (Jeon et al, 2012) or two DCM cycles with newly trained mappers (Van de Ven et al, 2013). None of them found significant effects on job satisfaction and care skills, but they found improvement of negative work experiences (Jeon et al, 2012;Van de Ven et al, 2013;Barbosa et al, 2017).…”

“…A number of studies on DCM in nursing home settings found that it leads to less agitation, affective problems and verbal agitation in people with dementia (Chenoweth et al, 2009;Kuiper et al, 2009), and that it benefits for staff by improving caring skills, leading to increased job satisfaction, which includes a direction of decreased stress and risk of burnout (Barbosa, Lord, Blighe, & Mountain, 2017;Jeon et al, 2012;Kuiper et al, 2009). Jeon et al (2012) and Van de Ven et al (2013) found over time a greater decline in stress and emotional exhaustion, fewer negative emotional reactions (such as nervousness) and more positive reactions (such as optimism), among staff in the DCM group than in the control group, although this was not a significant difference (Jeon et al, 2012;Van de Ven et al, 2013).…”

“…It is designed to empower teams to engage in evidence‐based critical reflection in order to improve quality of care at the individual level (clients and care staff), group level (staff and multidisciplinary teams) and management level, claiming that such improvement leads to higher job satisfaction of care staff (Kitwood, ; Van de Ven et al, ). A number of studies on DCM in nursing home settings found that it leads to less agitation, affective problems and verbal agitation in people with dementia (Chenoweth et al, ; Kuiper et al, ), and that it benefits for staff by improving caring skills, leading to increased job satisfaction, which includes a direction of decreased stress and risk of burnout (Barbosa, Lord, Blighe, & Mountain, ; Jeon et al, ; Kuiper et al, ). Jeon et al () and Van de Ven et al () found over time a greater decline in stress and emotional exhaustion, fewer negative emotional reactions (such as nervousness) and more positive reactions (such as optimism), among staff in the DCM group than in the control group, although this was not a significant difference (Jeon et al, ; Van de Ven et al, ).…”

Dementia care mapping to support staff in the care of people with intellectual disability and dementia: a feasibility study

“…Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) is a widely used method to support staff working in dementia care in psychogeriatric nursing homes (Barbosa, Lord, Blighe, & Mountain, 2017;Chenoweth et al, 2009;Jeon et al, 2012;Kuiper, Dijkstra, Tuinstra, & Groothoff, 2009;Rokstad et al, 2013;Van de Ven, 2014). It is promising for staff working with older people with intellectual disability and has a number of characteristics that are innovative for this field: it is a relatively structured psychosocial method, it is based on principles of person-centred care, and it is specifically aiming at people with dementia (Finnamore & Lord, 2007;Jaycock, Persaud, & Johnson, 2006;Persaud & Jaycock, 2001;Schaap, Dijkstra, Finnema, & Reijneveld, 2017).…”